226 Thach Hall, Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA.
J Gambl Stud. 2018 Jun;34(2):513-520. doi: 10.1007/s10899-017-9716-0.
The multiple choice procedure (MCP) is used to assess the relative reinforcing value of concurrently available stimuli. The MCP was originally developed to assess the reinforcing value of drugs; the current within-subjects study employed the MCP to assess the reinforcing value of gambling behavior. Participants (N = 323) completed six versions of the MCP that presented hypothetical choices between money to be used while gambling ($10 or $25) versus escalating amounts of guaranteed money available immediately or after delays of either 1 week or 1 month. Results suggest that choices on the MCP are correlated with other measures of gambling behavior, thus providing concurrent validity data for using the MCP to quantify the relative reinforcing value of gambling. The MCP for gambling also displayed sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude and delay effects, which provides evidence of criterion validity. The results are consistent with a behavioral economic model of addiction and suggest that the MCP could be a valid tool for future research on gambling behavior.
多项选择程序（MCP）用于评估同时可用刺激物的相对强化价值。MCP 最初是为评估药物的强化价值而开发的；本研究采用 MCP 评估赌博行为的强化价值。参与者（N=323）完成了 MCP 的六个版本，这些版本在赌博时使用的钱（$10 或 $25）与立即或延迟 1 周或 1 个月获得的保证金额之间进行了假设性选择。结果表明，MCP 上的选择与其他赌博行为测量相关，从而为使用 MCP 量化赌博的相对强化价值提供了同时效数据。用于赌博的 MCP 还对强化物大小和延迟效应敏感，这提供了准则有效性的证据。结果与成瘾的行为经济学模型一致，并表明 MCP 可能是未来赌博行为研究的有效工具。
