Applying a Behavioral Economic Framework to the Gambling Behavior of College Students

Behavioral economic theory conceptualizes human behavior as the result of allocating behavioral resources to engage in preferred activities. This framework has been applied sparingly to gambling behavior. The present study sought to reveal the important behavioral economic construct of relative reinforcing value for the activity of gambling by manipulating the value of an alternative reinforcer as well as constraining it’s availability in a sample of college students, a population that consistently shows elevated rates of gambling as well as problematic gambling behaviors. Analyses did not support the hypotheses, as gambling’s reinforcing value was not demonstrated by the experimental manipulations. Implications and methodological limitations are discussed