Identification of confusable odours including wines: Appropriate labels enhance performance

This study examined how the effectiveness of training people to identify confusable odour samples depends on the kind of label used in the task. In Experiments 1-3 participants were required to identify three compound odour samples (AX, BX and CX) containing a common element, Citral (X), using a multiple-choice test (A vs B vs C) on each trial. Participants given appropriate labels for the stimuli (Appropriate condition) performed better than participants who produced their own labels, but only in the first training block (Experiment 1). Participants given appropriate labels also performed better than participants trained to give inappropriate (Experiment 2) or irrelevant labels (Experiment 3). Subsequently, wine samples of similar discriminability to the compound odour samples (Experiment 4) were used as stimuli in the same kind of identification task. Novices were able to apply descriptors and grape names, e.g. 'Shiraz', at a level above chance (Experiment 5), but not as well as the Appropriate groups in Experiments 1-3. The procedure provides a measure of the degree to which a particular label or description is appropriate. © 2011

How anticipated and experienced stigma can contribute to self-stigma: The case of problem gambling

The degree to which anticipated and experienced public stigma contribute to self-stigma remains open to debate, and little research has been conducted into the self-stigma of problem gambling. This study aimed to examine which aspects of anticipated and experienced stigma (if any) predict the anticipated level of public stigma associated with problem gambling and the degree of self-stigma felt by people experiencing problem gambling. An online survey of 177 Australians experiencing problem gambling examined whether aspects of the public characterization of problem gambling, anticipated reactions to problem gamblers, and experiences of devaluation and discrimination predicted anticipated level of public stigma and self-stigma. The study found that self-stigma increases with expectations that the public applies a range of negative stereotypes to people with gambling problems, holds demeaning and discriminatory attitudes toward them, and considers them to lead highly disrupted lives. These variables directly predicted anticipated level of public stigma and indirectly predicted self-stigma. These findings lend weight to conceptualizations of self-stigma as an internalization of actual or anticipated public stigma. They also highlight the need for stigma reduction efforts, particularly those that lower negative stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes, to improve currently low rates of help-seeking amongst people with gambling problems

Grammarly: Help or hindrance? Academic learning advisors’ perceptions of an online grammar checker

Online technology has been advocated as a means of providing students with the grammatical support needed to succeed in higher education without com-promising the mission of university Academic Learning Centres (ALCs). Re-cent research into automated feedback technology in Australian tertiary insti-tutions has focused on the grammar checker, Grammarly. This study builds on O’Neill and Russell’s (2019) analysis of student perceptions’ of Grammarly at one multi-campus Australian university by evaluating Academic Learning Advisors’ (ALAs) perceptions of Grammarly and comparing its performance with the traditional feedback method using Word. A mixed method design was applied with three advisors surveyed on the perceived usefulness of incorpo-rating Grammarly feedback into student assessments (n = 51), and another three advisors surveyed on providing grammar feedback on assignments using Word (n = 25). Statistical analysis showed that the advisors using Grammarly agreed with all 15 statements about the effectiveness of their grammar instruc-tion, and for 13 of these statements, their mean scores were significantly higher than those of advisors not using Grammarly. The effect sizes for these comparisons indicated that the differences were quite large, suggesting that, while the advisors agreed that Grammarly and non-Grammarly feedback were useful to the students, Grammarly feedback was perceived to be more useful. Qualitative analysis explained the responses to Grammarly in terms of posi-tive implications for student and ALA practice, whilst also identifying issues the advisors had with the program. As a result of these reservations, it is rec-ommended that Grammarly be used as a feedback tool for assignments in con-junction with an ALA

Psychological factors, sociodemographic characteristics, and coping mechanisms associated with the self-stigma of problem gambling

Background and aims: Few studies have examined the stigma of problem gambling and little is known about those who internalize this prejudice as damaging self-stigma. This paper aimed to identify psychological factors, sociodemographic characteristics, and coping mechanisms associated with the self-stigma of problem gambling. Methods: An online survey was conducted on 177 Australian adults with a current gambling problem to measure selfstigma, self-esteem, social anxiety, self-consciousness, psychological distress, symptom severity, most problematic gambling form, stigma coping mechanisms, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: All variables significantly correlated with self-stigma were considered for inclusion in a regression model. A multivariate linear regression indicated that higher levels of self-stigma were associated with: being female, being older, lower self-esteem, higher problem gambling severity score, and greater use of secrecy (standardized coefficients: 0.16, 0.14, -0.33, 0.23, and 0.15, respectively). Strongest predictors in the model were self-esteem, followed by symptom severity score. Together, predictors in the model accounted for 38.9% of the variance in self-stigma. Discussion and conclusions: These results suggest that the self-stigma of problem gambling may be driven by similar mechanisms as the selfstigma of other mental health disorders, and impact similarly on self-esteem and coping. Thus, self-stigma reduction initiatives used for other mental health conditions may be effective for problem gambling. In contrast, however, the self-stigma of problem gambling increased with female gender and older age, which are associated with gaming machine problems. This group should, therefore, be a target population for efforts to reduce or better cope with the self-stigma of problem gambling. © 2017 The Author(s)

Making EGMs accountable: Can an informative and dynamic interface help players self-regulate?

Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) are recognised as one of the most harmful gambling forms, because they promote high-speed repetitive gambling and automatically reinvest winnings. These features, amongst others, make it difficult for EGM gamblers to keep track of their play. Tools to assist gamblers exist, but have limited effectiveness because they require user registration and manual activation, leading to low uptake. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a more informative interface (including removal of automatic reinvestment of winnings) and pop-up messages on gambling behaviour, and on player experience. A total of 213 Australian participants, recruited through social media, played a simulated online EGM. The experiment was a two (standard vs. informative interface) × two (pop-ups absent vs. present) between-subjects design. The informative interface: promoted keeping track of spins played; increased accurate estimation of amount spent (as did pop-up messages) and time played; and provided game usage figures which acted as cues to quit play. Once the initial deposit (but not winnings) was expended, informative interface users could opt to reinvest their winnings, although many opted to exit at that point. No difference in total spending or dissociation was observed between experimental groups. Informative interface users reported no reduction in enjoyment. Pop-up messages reduced enjoyment with the standard interface, but increased enjoyment when paired with an informative interface. These findings indicate that a more informative interface and pop-up messages may be useful in reducing the harmful nature of EGMs

Exploration of intervention strategies to reduce public stigma associated with gambling disorder

Stigma associated with gambling disorder is complex, and is a key obstacle that prevents sufferers from seeking early help for their condition. However, little research has addressed how best to reduce gambling stigma. This study explored the effectiveness of video intervention styles, that have been used to reduce public stigma for conditions such as mental illness and substance use disorders. This was done to determine which would be most suitable, considering the unique characteristics of gambling disorder. An online survey of 164 people living in Australia was conducted which examined attitudes toward gamblers experiencing problems before and after an intervention. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three interventions (contact, education, advocacy) or a control video. The study found that each intervention was associated with changes to different components of stigma. Importantly, the education intervention increased labelling, but reduced stereotype endorsement and anger. Advocacy also reduced anger, attributions of character flaws, and anticipated discrimination and recoverability. While these interventions were generally effective at reducing stigma, the contact intervention was mixed, effectively intervening for some aspects of stigma, but increasing stigma on others. No single intervention reduced all aspects of stigma, suggesting that a complementary approach utilising specific elements of each intervention style could be used to deliver relevant information and effectively reduce stigma. Taken together, this suggests that research should be conducted into comprehensive, combined interventions, that include aspects of all three intervention styles, in an attempt to reduce more aspects of stigma simultaneously

What can be done to reduce the public stigma of gambling disorder?: Lessons from other stigmatised conditions

Gambling is embedded in Australian cultural history, and perceived as a normal, legitimate leisure activity. Despite this normalisation, people who experience gambling problems are heavily stigmatised which can lead to a variety of harms that extend beyond the individual. The stigma from the general public appears to be based on a stereotype of a typical “problem gambler”—selfish, greedy, impulsive and irresponsible. However, research suggests that people experiencing gambling problems have widely varying characteristics and do not conform to this stereotype. Regardless of whether the stigma is justified, it is both present and problematic. Gamblers experiencing problems delay help-seeking due to feelings of shame and, not unwarranted, expectations of negative judgement because of the heavy stigma associated with the stereotype. As stigma is a primary barrier to treatment and a reason why gambling problems can take longer to acknowledge, it is important to understand and address how stigma can be reduced to minimise the negative consequences of gambling on individuals, their families and friends and the wider community. There is little research on reducing gambling-related stigma, so there is a need to examine strategies used in other stigmatised conditions, such as mental health, to understand the general principles of effective stigma reduction measures. Because gambling disorder is unique, well-hidden and consequently not well understood, there is a need to recognise that techniques used in other domains may differ in their effectiveness within the context of gambling stigma

Individual characteristics and coping mechanisms associated with the self-stigma of problem gambling

Few studies have examined the stigma of problem gambling and internalisation of this prejudice as damaging self-stigma. This study aimed to identify psychological factors, sociodemographic characteristics and coping mechanisms associated with the self-stigma of problem gambling. An online survey was conducted of 177 Australian adults with a current gambling problem to measure self-stigma, self-esteem, social anxiety, self-consciousness, psychological distress, symptom severity, most problematic gambling form, stigma coping mechanisms and sociodemographic characteristics. A multivariate linear regression indicated that higher levels of self-stigma were associated with: being female, being older, lower self-esteem, higher problem gambling severity score, and greater use of secrecy. Strongest predictors were self-esteem and symptom severity score. These results suggest that the self-stigma of problem gambling may be driven by similar mechanisms as the self-stigma of other mental health disorders, and impact similarly on self-esteem and coping. Thus, self-stigma reduction initiatives used for other mental health conditions may be effective for problem gambling. The self-stigma of problem gambling increased with female gender and older age, which are associated with gaming machine problems. This group should be a focus for efforts to reduce or better cope with the self-stigma of problem gambling

Stop! Grammar time: University students’ perceptions of the automated feedback program Grammarly

Universities are increasingly looking towards online technology to assist their students. Grammarly advertises itself as the world’s most accurate online grammar checker, yet little research exists on its performance as a feedback tool in universities. This paper reports on a study investigating students’ perceptions of Grammarly when used in conjunction with advice from an academic learning advisor. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the study compared one group of students’ responses to the feedback they received from Grammarly (n = 54) with another group’s responses to the traditional non-automated grammar feedback they received from the Academic Learning Centre at CQUniversity (n = 42). Results show that students receiving feedback from Grammarly responded more positively to 9 of the 15 survey items and were significantly more satisfied with the grammar advice that they received compared with non-Grammarly students. No significant differences were registered between cohorts or delivery mode, which suggests that Grammarly can be used effectively by academic learning advisors to provide grammar support for both international and domestic students, online and on campus. It is recommended, however, that the program be used in conjunction with academic learning advisor input as the program is currently not accurate enough for independent use to be justified

How anticipated and experienced stigma can contribute to self-stigma: The case of problem gambling

The degree to which anticipated and experienced public stigma contribute to self-stigma remains open to debate, and little research has been conducted into the self-stigma of problem gambling. This study aimed to examine which aspects of anticipated and experienced stigma (if any) predict the anticipated level of public stigma associated with problem gambling and the degree of self-stigma felt by people experiencing problem gambling. An online survey of 177 Australians experiencing problem gambling examined whether aspects of the public characterization of problem gambling, anticipated reactions to problem gamblers, and experiences of devaluation and discrimination predicted anticipated level of public stigma and self-stigma. The study found that self-stigma increases with expectations that the public applies a range of negative stereotypes to people with gambling problems, holds demeaning and discriminatory attitudes toward them, and considers them to lead highly disrupted lives. These variables directly predicted anticipated level of public stigma and indirectly predicted self-stigma. These findings lend weight to conceptualizations of self-stigma as an internalization of actual or anticipated public stigma. They also highlight the need for stigma reduction efforts, particularly those that lower negative stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes, to improve currently low rates of help-seeking amongst people with gambling problems