Ismael Muela1, Juan F Navas2, José C Perales1. 1. Department of Experimental Psychology, Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. 2. Department of Clinical Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Distorted gambling-related cognitions are tightly related to gambling problems, and are one of the main targets of treatment for disordered gambling, but their etiology remains uncertain. Although folk wisdom and some theoretical approaches have linked them to lower domain-general reasoning abilities, evidence regarding that relationship remains unconvincing. METHOD: In the present cross-sectional study, the relationship between probabilistic/abstract reasoning, as measured by the Berlin Numeracy Test (BNT), and the Matrices Test, respectively, and the five dimensions of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), was tested in a sample of 77 patients with gambling disorder and 58 individuals without gambling problems. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: Neither BNT nor matrices scores were significantly related to gambling-related cognitions, according to frequentist (MANCOVA/ANCOVA) analyses, performed both considering and disregarding group (patients, non-patients) in the models. Correlation Bayesian analyses (bidirectional BF10) largely supported the null hypothesis, i.e., the absence of relationships between the measures of interest. This pattern or results reinforces the idea that distorted cognitions do not originate in a general lack of understanding of probability or low fluid intelligence, but probably result from motivated reasoning.
BACKGROUND: Distorted gambling-related cognitions are tightly related to gambling problems, and are one of the main targets of treatment for disordered gambling, but their etiology remains uncertain. Although folk wisdom and some theoretical approaches have linked them to lower domain-general reasoning abilities, evidence regarding that relationship remains unconvincing. METHOD: In the present cross-sectional study, the relationship between probabilistic/abstract reasoning, as measured by the Berlin Numeracy Test (BNT), and the Matrices Test, respectively, and the five dimensions of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS), was tested in a sample of 77 patients with gambling disorder and 58 individuals without gambling problems. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: Neither BNT nor matrices scores were significantly related to gambling-related cognitions, according to frequentist (MANCOVA/ANCOVA) analyses, performed both considering and disregarding group (patients, non-patients) in the models. Correlation Bayesian analyses (bidirectional BF10) largely supported the null hypothesis, i.e., the absence of relationships between the measures of interest. This pattern or results reinforces the idea that distorted cognitions do not originate in a general lack of understanding of probability or low fluid intelligence, but probably result from motivated reasoning.
Authors: Juan F Navas; Oren Contreras-Rodríguez; Juan Verdejo-Román; Ana Perandrés-Gómez; Natalia Albein-Urios; Antonio Verdejo-García; José C Perales Journal: Addiction Date: 2017-02-14 Impact factor: 6.526
Authors: Francesco Del Prete; Trevor Steward; Juan F Navas; Fernando Fernández-Aranda; Susana Jiménez-Murcia; Tian P S Oei; José C Perales Journal: J Behav Addict Date: 2017-01-25 Impact factor: 6.756
Authors: Juan R Barrada; Juan F Navas; Cristian M Ruiz de Lara; Joël Billieux; Gaëtan Devos; José C Perales Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-02-22 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Damien Brevers; Axel Cleeremans; Frederick Verbruggen; Antoine Bechara; Charles Kornreich; Paul Verbanck; Xavier Noël Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-11-27 Impact factor: 3.240