Modification of slotmachine preferences through the use of a conditional discrimination paradigm

The present experiment investigated the impact of contextually trained discriminations on gambling behavior. Nine recreational slot-machine players were initially exposed to concurrently available computerized slot machines that were each programmed on random-ratio schedules of reinforcement and differed only in color. All participants distributed responding equally across the two slot machines. A conditional discrimination procedure was then used to teach the contextual cues representing the arbitrary relations of ‘‘greater than’ ’ and ‘‘less than.’ ’ Following contextual cue training, participants were reexposed to the concurrent slot-machine task. After training of the contextual cues, a higher proportion of responses were made to the slot machine that shared formal properties (i.e., color) with the contextual cue representing ‘‘greater than.’’ DESCRIPTORS: choice, gambling, self-rules, verbal behavior _______________________________________________________________________________ During the past 20 years there has been a growth in the number of states that allow legalized gambling (Ghezzi, Lyons, & Dixon, 2000). There has also been an increase from 1