Análisis de las verbalizaciones de jugadores patológicos mientras juegan en máquinas recreativas con premio: estudio descriptivo

Abstract

Analysis of thought verbalization in pathological gamblers while playing slot machines: Descriptive study. The main goal of the study was to analize gamblers' thoughts while gambling. In order to identify these thoughts, Ladouceur's procedure of "Thinking aloud" was used, and verbalizations were classified according to Walker's (1992b) proposal. An 88 pathological gamblers' sample was studied (DSM-IV), recording all thought verbalizations throughout three gambling sessions. The results highlight a very high proportion of irrational thoughts (30%), a very low proportion of rational thoughts (below 1%), and a percentage of irrationality in verbalizations concerning gambling strategies of 97%. The study confirms, in a big sample of pathological gamblers, the existence of a high percentage of irrational thoughts while gambling. The possible implications of these data are dicussed.