Implementation and Feasibility Analysis of a Javascript-based Gambling Tool Device for Online Decision Making Task under Risk in Psychological and Health Services Research

Abstract

: Decision making is one of the most complex tasks in human behavior. In the past, researchers have tried to understand how humans make decisions by designing neuropsychological tests to assess reward related decision making by evaluating the preference for smaller but immediate rewards over larger but delayed rewards or by evaluating the tolerance of risk in favor of a desired reward. The latter are also known as gambling tasks. Today, information technology offers a variety of possibilities to investigate behaviour under risk. After a short introduction on gambling tasks and in particular the game of dice task, this article describes the development and implementation of a JavaScript-based gambling tool for online surveys based on a game of dice task. In a pilot feasibility study with 170 medical students, participants were randomly assigned to a “REAL condition”, based on the probabilities of the chosen bet and a “FAKE condition” where participants lose all the time independently of the chosen bet. We were able to show that the software was well accepted with only 14.7% of drop outs. Moreover, we also found a difference between the FAKE and the REAL group: Participants in the FAKE condition in the mean steadily increased their stake while then control group quite early tended to run a safer strategy. This is also obvious when the overall stake mean is compared: While in the REAL condition the mean stake is 310.89 ± 222.98 €, the FAKE condition has an overall mean of 390.38 ± 296.50 €. In conclusion, this article clearly indicates how a JavaScript based gambling tool can be used for psychological online research.