Bechara Iowa Gambling Task

With respect to the study of impaired decision-making in addiction, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; Bechara et al., 1994) has been regarded as the most widely used and ecologically valid measure of decision making in this clinical population.

WINCART - Study 1A - Part 2 - The Iowa Gambling Task - Duration: 1:21. Academicmediaservice 14,739 views. Antoine Bechara talks about the IOWA Gambling Task - Duration: 2:04. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; Bechara et al., 1997) is arguably the most popular decision task used in studies of clinical samples. Players choose from four “decks of cards” over a series of trials, with each selection resulting in a monetary reward and occasionally a monetary loss. In order to detect and measure in the laboratory the decision-making impairment of VM lesion patients, we developed a gambling task which resembles the decisions made in real life in terms of reward, punishment and the uncertainty of outcomes (Bechara et al., 1994). The task involves four decks of cards, called A, B, C and D. Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) The Iowa Gambling experiment was created to determine the nature of impairment in decision making (Bechara et al., 1994). The neuroimaging techniques implemented within the framework of the IGT experiment allow for real-time monitoring of neural processes lying at the core of the decision-making process.

[edit]About

In this test, subject chooses from one of four decks, each having a different reward schedule. This task is based on Bechara et al's so-called 'Iowa Gambling task'

In this procedure, subjects are given $2000 to begin. On each trial, they are given the choice of four decks,and after each card, they are given a reward of some amount; after some cards, they are givena reward and pay a penalty.

[edit]Notes

The penalty/reward structure is identical to that in Bechara et al.with 40 cards per deck, and the identical reward structure.When 100 cards have been selected, the task is complete.

Unlike the real-world version, the deck is just rotated on each draw, so that the top card moves to the bottom of the 40-card deck,and so the sequence will repeat after 40 cards in the original order, rather than becoming exhausted after 40 draws.

Iowa Gambling Task Bechara Et Al 1994

[edit]Options

• By default, the penalty cards are in the order originally published by Bechara et al. Setting shuffleDecks <- 1 (from 0) will shuffle the penalty decks

before the experiment. Shuffling is performed in 10-card epochs, so that the penalty in 1-10 stay in 1-10, etc.

• Baseline rewards for each deck can be changed as well, using the deck1Rew, deck2Rew, deck3Rew, and deck4Rew variables.
• The variable gUseMouse controls whether interaction is done using the mouse or keyboard input. Set to 0 for keyboard, 1 for mouse. It is 1 by default.
• The variable numtrials controls how many trials are used. Cards in decks get rotated from top to bottom, so there is no great danger of running out of cards.

[edit]Data Output

Data are saved to igt-X.txt, where X is the participant code. The columns are:

Each row is a trial. You are probably most interested in the proportion that each deck is chosen, which is the third column.

[edit]References

Bechara A, Damasio A. R., Damasio H, & Anderson S. W. (1994). Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition.

Bechara 1994 Iowa Gambling Task

[edit]Research Using Test

• Kaare, P. R. (2008). Correlates of pathological gambling in Estonia: Personality, emotional states, self-esteem, cognitive ability and decision-making strategies. University of Tartu Master Thesis.
• Kaare, P. R., Mõttus, R., & Konstabel, K. (2009). Pathological Gambling in Estonia: Relationships with Personality, Self-Esteem, Emotional States and Cognitive Ability. Journal of Gambling Studies, 25(3), 377-390.
• Lipnicki, D. M., Gunga, H. C., Belavy, D. L., & Felsenberg, D. (2009). Bed Rest and Cognition: Effects on Executive Functioning and Reaction Time. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 80(12), 1018-1024. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20027848
• Lipnicki, D. M., Gunga, H., Belavy, D. L., & Felsenberg, D. (2009). Decision making after 50 days of simulated weightlessness. Brain Research, 1280, 84-89. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.05.022 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19447099

[edit]See Also

Iowa Gambling Task Bechara