Introduction

Despite being on the losing spree, people might bet more in hopes of winning the next game. Even the sweet memories of past victories force people to play more. A recent study has revealed this trend. The authors of this study have published the results of this study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. In this article, we would see the interesting findings that this interesting study yielded.

Recent study

The study found that people chose to participate in more plays when scientists reminded or prepared them about past winning results. People were found to be 15% more likely to gamble more by selecting the risky option. The research team at the University of Warwick in Great Britain believes that people’s memories play a crucial role in making certain decisions. When the team interviewed people who are in the habit of gambling, they found that subtle signals about past victories play an important role in driving them to keep gambling. This is most clear in people who gamble at local casinos. Players even place millions of dollars in cash on the table for the final showdown at some poker tournaments in hopes of winning the next game.

Hypothesis

Researchers had come up with the hypothesis that the memory of winning results in the past forced people to bet more in casinos and risk a lot of money at the table. The results of the study more or less confirm the role that these signals play in forcing people to play more, risking their money. To test the hypothesis, the researchers manipulated the participants’ memory for past winning results with simple risky-choice tasks. The researchers accomplished this by asking participants to select one of the two doors as part of a computer test.

Technical tests

The study authors gave participants the option to choose between four colored doors. Three of the gates always led to guaranteed results (0, 40, or 80). On the other hand, the fourth gate led to a risky 50/50 score that led to 20 or 60 points. Later in the study, team members reminded participants of their winning or losing result in the past based on the points they scored, depending on the door they opened. When team members told participants about the points they had earned, they tended to go to the door of risk more often.