This study examined whether children's cognitive perceptions of the amount of skill and luck involved in gambling activities could be modified as a function of reinforcement schedules on a gambling task (Hilo). Children (N = 174) from grades 5 and 7 completed a questionnaire to evaluate cognitions and played a computer simulated card-cutting game. Cognitions were assessed after the game to examine if cognitive perceptions changed and then again one and four weeks later to evaluate if changes were maintained. Results reveal that experiencing repeated losses decreased perceived skill and increased perceptions of luck on gambling tasks in general. Cognitive changes in younger children were larger and were maintained longer than for older children. Analyses of game playing behaviour indicated that children in the losing condition chased losses by betting a larger percentage of bankrolls per hand in the final portion of game time. The results are discussed with emphasis on implications for prevention programs based on cognitive restructuring.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.21192 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Baboushkin, Hayley R. |
| Contributors | Derevensky, Jeffrey (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001657181, proquestno: MQ50495, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
Page generated in 0.0016 seconds