Arshad Fiza, Ferrari Mario A, Murch W Spencer, Cherkasova Mariya V, Limbrick-Oldfield Eve H, Winstanley Catharine A, Clark Luke
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Centre for Gambling Research at UBC, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
J Gambl Stud. 2025 Jun 12. doi: 10.1007/s10899-025-10397-9.
Modern slot machines can create immersive experiences for gamblers. Design features, including audiovisual cues, may influence these experiences, potentially interacting with personal risk factors for disordered gambling. According to the incentive salience hypothesis of addiction, reward-paired audiovisual cues strongly motivate behavior. This study manipulated audiovisual cues during simulated slot machine gambling to test the effects of varying intensities on self-reported immersion. Undergraduate students (n = 156) played a realistic slot machine simulation within an authentic cabinet. They experienced three intensities of audiovisual cues: Minus, Intermediate, and Plus. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, including a retrospective game immersion questionnaire. The pre-registered hypothesis was partially supported: the Intermediate cue condition was associated with greater game immersion than the Minus condition (p < 0.05). Exploratory models revealed higher total scores on the depression, anxiety, and stress scale predicted greater immersion in the Intermediate condition (p < 0.001). A Cue x Gender interaction was driven by greater immersion in the Intermediate cue condition among women, but not men (p < 0.05). Problem gambling severity predicted greater immersion across all models (p < 0.001). Audiovisual cues influenced immersion in slot machine gambling, supporting regulatory attention to audiovisual features as an engineered product aspect. Contrary to predictions, immersion was highest at the intermediate not maximal level of stimulation. Gender and affective symptoms also impacted immersion, indicating personal risk factors in susceptibility.
现代老虎机能为赌徒创造身临其境的体验。包括视听线索在内的设计特征可能会影响这些体验，有可能与赌博成瘾的个人风险因素相互作用。根据成瘾的动机显著性假说，与奖励相关联的视听线索会强烈激发行为。本研究在模拟老虎机赌博过程中操纵视听线索，以测试不同强度对自我报告的沉浸感的影响。本科生（n = 156）在一个真实的机箱内玩一款逼真的老虎机模拟游戏。他们体验了三种强度的视听线索：低、中、高。参与者完成了自我报告问卷，包括一份回顾性游戏沉浸感问卷。预先注册的假设得到了部分支持：中等线索条件下的游戏沉浸感高于低线索条件（p < 0.05）。探索性模型显示，抑郁、焦虑和压力量表上的总分越高，在中等条件下的沉浸感越强（p < 0.001）。线索×性别的交互作用是由女性在中等线索条件下的沉浸感更强驱动的，而男性则不然（p < 0.05）。问题赌博严重程度在所有模型中都预示着更高的沉浸感（p < 0.001）。视听线索影响了老虎机赌博中的沉浸感，支持将视听特征作为工程产品的一个方面进行监管关注。与预测相反，沉浸感在中等刺激水平而非最大刺激水平时最高。性别和情感症状也会影响沉浸感，表明易感性中的个人风险因素。
