Do Scores on the Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised Predict Discounting of Delayed Gains and/or Losses in a University Sample

The present study investigated whether participants’ scores on the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised (GFA-R) would be predictive of their level of discounting of delayed hypothetical monetary gains and losses. One hundred twenty eight university students completed the GFA-R and a discounting task involving two hypothetical monetary amounts that were framed either as gains or losses. Participants endorsed gambling for positive reinforcement significantly more than gambling for negative reinforcement. They discounted losses significantly more than gains and displayed a magnitude effect for losses (the effect was not statistically significant for gains). GFA-R scores were significant predictors of discounting for only the outcome of losing $1,000. Gambling for positive and negative reinforcement predicted more or less discounting, respectively. The results suggest that the GFA-R may be a useful research tool, that one cannot assume that discounting of gains will be informative about the discounting of losses, and that the contingencies that may be maintaining a person’s gambling behavior may not be informative as to how that person discounts particular outcomes