Monkey Gambling?
Recent research can now offer a new way to look at gambling behavior and may, in the future, help mental health professionals and other academics who are interested in the age-old question of "why do people gamble?" In two of the latest gambling-related studies, scientists at Duke University in North Carolina and the University of Rochester in New York State devised studies that gave them the ability to correlate monkeys' gambling behavior with that of humans. In a 2005 Duke University research project, investigators presented male rhesus macaque monkeys with a screen that displayed lights. Whenever the monkeys gazed at a "safe" light they would receive a fruit juice reward while if they gazed at a "risky" light, their juice reward became random. As the game progressed, it was clear that the monkeys preferred the risky behavior over the safe choices, even when they realized that the risky behavior might not
result in a reward. The researchers then changed the parameters of the study so that the monkeys would experience a series of losses. Following the change, the monkeys' behavior was examined, with the results showing clearly that the monkeys were prepared to continue to gamble, even after they experienced a "losing streak." The researchers wired electrodes into the monkeys' brains to look at the monkeys' brain functions while they were playing their games. They saw that, when the monkeys were behaving in a risky fashion, neuron activity increased. The researchers reported that it's clear that gambling pleasure is biologically-based. A follow-up study was conducted at the University of Rochester in which investigators set out to determine if
and how monkeys would base their actions on a belief in winning streaks. The Rochester researchers wanted to determine whether humans are cognitively disposed to look for winning streaks. In order to explore "hot-hand" behavior -- the belief that when someone experiences success with a random event, they will have a better chance of experiencing more success in subsequent attempts at the same activity -- a group of monkeys was given a series of play models. The monkeys consistently made choices in a way that suggested that their decisions were based on a perceived "lucky streak." Behavioral scientists cite these studies when explaining the innate human desire that humans seem to have to gamble. Humans, they say, need to gamble, and will look for appropriate opportunities, such as at neighborhood or family events, live casino venues and the
online casino, to do so. Or so you might think...
Monkeys Gambling Like Humans Do at an Online Casino?
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| Solution to the crystal clear maze by Yanito Freminoshi |
When we look at the random order of the universe, it may seem unrealistic to expect a bias towards seeing order. University of Rochester cognitive behaviorist Tommy Blanchard argues that, from an evolutionary perspective, order, rather than random events, accounts for many of the behaviors that humans show today. Blanchard wrote that order was probably the norm for most of the natural resources, including food and tools, that humans have encountered through the course of our evolution. Since natural resources rarely distribute themselves in a random manner in their natural environment, early primates, and then humans, have learned to expect this type of distribution. Blanchard explained that such a bias shows adaptive behavior since, if by knowing where food has been found in the past, it's possible to find food in the future. Humans, he
continued, have an inborn tendency towards searching out randomness and that trait helps us adapt and goes a long way towards ensuring the survival of the species. To test his theory
Blanchard designed a study that connects evolutionary sciences to gambling behavior, both as evidenced among online casino players and live casino gamers. Blanchard began his project by considering ways to assess the cognitive abilities of early humans by looking at non-human primates. His reasoning was that, if monkeys and humans show similar biases – and if those biases emerge in the same situations, develop in the same ways and break down in the same manner, one can infer that they are the same, since such hereditary traits were preserved in each of our lineages. Blanchard devised a study in which juvenile male rhesus monkeys were taught to play a game on a computer. They learned that, by gazing at a light, they
could earn a reward. In two of the play paradigms, the reward was clear and there was no random choices involves. However, when the monkeys were introduced to a play model in which the choice involved a random outcome, they immediately demonstrated that they preferred that type of game. Blanchard and his co-researchers revised the model several times, reducing the rewards and offering different types of choices, but over the course of hundreds of trials, the monkeys were consistent in their preference for a game in which the reward was random. In addition to the question of evolution, this study is of great use to gamblers and casino operators who can use the results to create better games and more engaging casino activities.
