Discounting by Problem and Non-Problem Gambers when the Hypothetical Context is Manipulated

Abstract

The majority of the previous research on delay discounting in pathological gamblers has found that these individuals discount monetary consequences more steeply than do nongamblers. The present study attempted to replicate this effect, as well as determine whether changes in the context in which the discounting decision was made would differentially influence the discounting of non-gamblers and problem/pathological gamblers. Participants discounted $1,000 after being informed that their hypothetical annual salary was a certain amount. Participants then completed the discounting task a second time after being informed that their hypothetical annual salary remained the same, had been halved, or had been doubled. Manipulation of the participants’ hypothetical salaries did not alter rates of delay discounting, but the problem/pathological gamblers discounted the$1,000 significantly less than did the non-gamblers. These results suggest that steeper rates of discounting will not always be observed in problem gamblers relative to nonproblem gamblers. Potential reasons for the present results and their implications for understanding the relationship between discounting and pathological gambling are discussed