Abstract

Increased cognitive distortions (i.e. biased processing of chance, probability and skill) are a key psychopathological process in disordered gambling. The present study investigated state and trait aspects of cognitive distortions in 22 individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and 22 healthy controls. Participants completed the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale as a trait measure of cognitive distortions, and played a slot machine task delivering wins, near-misses and full-misses. Ratings of pleasure (“liking”) and motivation to play (“wanting”) were taken following the different outcomes, and gambling persistence was measured after a mandatory phase. IGD was associated with elevated trait cognitive distortions, in particular skill-oriented cognitions. On the slot machine task, the IGD group showed increased “wanting” ratings compared with control participants, while the two groups did not differ regarding their “liking” of the game. The IGD group displayed increased persistence on the slot machine task. Near-miss outcomes did not elicit stronger motivation to play compared to full-miss outcomes overall, and there was no group difference on this measure. However, a near-miss position effect was observed, such that near-misses stopping before the payline were rated as more motivating than near-misses that stopped after the payline, and this differentiation was attenuated in the IGD group, suggesting possible counterfactual thinking deficits in this group. These data provide preliminary evidence for increased incentive motivation and cognitive distortions in IGD, at least in the context of a chance-based gambling environment.

Highlights

  • Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is characterized by the failure to control one’s impulses to use online gaming [1]

  • Among the participants who responded to the online advertisements, 57 met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for IGD and were invited to the lab, and 22 met the additional criteria (IAT score ! 50 and online playing time ! 20h/week)

  • The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) [36] was used to screen for problem gambling; no participants met the threshold for problem gambling, and there was no group difference between the IGD and Controls

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Summary

Introduction

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is characterized by the failure to control one’s impulses to use online gaming [1]. Corporation and the Province of British Columbia government, which provided salary support for LC; the funding bodies did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the “author contributions” section

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