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Overview
Animal models of gambling attempt to reproduce some of the key behavioural characteristics and gambling patterns considered to be problematic in humans. The main purpose of these models is to help clarify the relationship between decision-making and addiction. Researchers theorize that poor decision making may be due to individual level differences that exist prior to gambling initiation, such as genetics and/or early life environmental factors. However, alternative models suggest that gambling itself may change the neural structures and functions underlying decision-making, after initiation. Using animal models allows researchers to more carefully control individual level differences and examine resulting brain changes in greater detail.
Key Points
Animal models of gambling tend to use slot-machine-type analogues with animals. Specifically, an animal will be trained to pull a lever, after which they get a reward (e.g., food pellets) depending on the outcome of a stimulus (e.g., three green lights in a row). Animal models have been used to mimic gambling-related cognitions/biases, such as delay discounting and the near-miss effect.
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References
Zentall, T. R., & Stagner, J. (2011). Maladaptive choice behaviour by pigeons: an animal analogue and possible mechanism for gambling (sub-optimal human decision-making behaviour). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 278(1709), 1203-1208.
Madden, G. J., Ewan, E. E., & Lagorio, C. H. (2007). Toward an animal model of gambling: Delay discounting and the allure of unpredictable outcomes. Journal of Gambling Studies, 23(1), 63-83.
Peters, H., Hunt, M., & Harper, D. (2010). An animal model of slot machine gambling: The effect of structural characteristics on response latency and persistence. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(4), 521-531.
Cocker, P. J., & Winstanley, C. A. (2015). Irrational beliefs, biases and gambling: exploring the role of animal models in elucidating vulnerabilities for the development of pathological gambling. Behavioural brain research, 279, 259-273.