Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?

Objective: A critical issue in research related to the Iowa gambling task (IGT) is the use of the alternative factors expected value and gain–loss frequency to distinguish between clinical cases and control groups. When the IGT has been used to examine cases of Internet addiction (IA), the literatur...

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Main Authors: Ching-Hung Lin, Chao-Chih Wang, Jia-Huang Sun, Chih-Hung Ko, Yao-Chu Chiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00232/full
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author Ching-Hung Lin
Ching-Hung Lin
Chao-Chih Wang
Chao-Chih Wang
Jia-Huang Sun
Chih-Hung Ko
Chih-Hung Ko
Yao-Chu Chiu
author_facet Ching-Hung Lin
Ching-Hung Lin
Chao-Chih Wang
Chao-Chih Wang
Jia-Huang Sun
Chih-Hung Ko
Chih-Hung Ko
Yao-Chu Chiu
author_sort Ching-Hung Lin
collection DOAJ
description Objective: A critical issue in research related to the Iowa gambling task (IGT) is the use of the alternative factors expected value and gain–loss frequency to distinguish between clinical cases and control groups. When the IGT has been used to examine cases of Internet addiction (IA), the literature reveals inconsistencies in the results. However, few studies have utilized the clinical version of IGT (cIGT) to examine IA cases. The present study aims to resolve previous inconsistencies and to examine the validity of the cIGT by comparing performances of controls with cases of Internet gaming disorder (IGD), a subtype of IA defined by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.Methods: The study recruited 23 participants with clinically diagnosed IGD and 38 age-matched control participants. Based on the basic assumptions of IGT and the gain–loss frequency viewpoint, a dependent variables analysis was carried out.Results: The results showed no statistical difference between the two groups in most performance indices and therefore support the findings of most IGT-IA studies; in particular, expected value and gain–loss frequency did not distinguish between the IGD cases and controls. However, the participants in both groups were influenced by the gain–loss frequency, revealing the existence of the prominent deck B phenomenon.Conclusion: The findings provide two possible interpretations. The first is that choice behavior deficits do not constitute a characteristic feature of individuals who have been diagnosed with IGD/IA. The second is that, as the cIGT was unable to distinguish the choice behavior of the IGD/IA participants from that of controls, the cIGT may not be relevant for assessing IGD based on the indices provided by the expected value and gain–loss frequency perspectives in the standard administration of IGT.
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spelling doaj.art-c4fb151b33e8404d96a573628ceb53f42022-12-22T02:08:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402019-05-011010.3389/fpsyt.2019.00232418662Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?Ching-Hung Lin0Ching-Hung Lin1Chao-Chih Wang2Chao-Chih Wang3Jia-Huang Sun4Chih-Hung Ko5Chih-Hung Ko6Yao-Chu Chiu7Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanResearch Center for Nonlinear Analysis and Optimization, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Psychology, Soochow University, Taipei, TaiwanResearch Center for Education and Mind Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Psychology, Soochow University, Taipei, TaiwanObjective: A critical issue in research related to the Iowa gambling task (IGT) is the use of the alternative factors expected value and gain–loss frequency to distinguish between clinical cases and control groups. When the IGT has been used to examine cases of Internet addiction (IA), the literature reveals inconsistencies in the results. However, few studies have utilized the clinical version of IGT (cIGT) to examine IA cases. The present study aims to resolve previous inconsistencies and to examine the validity of the cIGT by comparing performances of controls with cases of Internet gaming disorder (IGD), a subtype of IA defined by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.Methods: The study recruited 23 participants with clinically diagnosed IGD and 38 age-matched control participants. Based on the basic assumptions of IGT and the gain–loss frequency viewpoint, a dependent variables analysis was carried out.Results: The results showed no statistical difference between the two groups in most performance indices and therefore support the findings of most IGT-IA studies; in particular, expected value and gain–loss frequency did not distinguish between the IGD cases and controls. However, the participants in both groups were influenced by the gain–loss frequency, revealing the existence of the prominent deck B phenomenon.Conclusion: The findings provide two possible interpretations. The first is that choice behavior deficits do not constitute a characteristic feature of individuals who have been diagnosed with IGD/IA. The second is that, as the cIGT was unable to distinguish the choice behavior of the IGD/IA participants from that of controls, the cIGT may not be relevant for assessing IGD based on the indices provided by the expected value and gain–loss frequency perspectives in the standard administration of IGT.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00232/fullInternet addiction (IA)Internet gaming disorder (IGD)Iowa gambling task (IGT)expected valuegain–loss frequencyprominent deck B phenomenon
spellingShingle Ching-Hung Lin
Ching-Hung Lin
Chao-Chih Wang
Chao-Chih Wang
Jia-Huang Sun
Chih-Hung Ko
Chih-Hung Ko
Yao-Chu Chiu
Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Internet addiction (IA)
Internet gaming disorder (IGD)
Iowa gambling task (IGT)
expected value
gain–loss frequency
prominent deck B phenomenon
title Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
title_full Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
title_fullStr Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
title_full_unstemmed Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
title_short Is the Clinical Version of the Iowa Gambling Task Relevant for Assessing Choice Behavior in Cases of Internet Addiction?
title_sort is the clinical version of the iowa gambling task relevant for assessing choice behavior in cases of internet addiction
topic Internet addiction (IA)
Internet gaming disorder (IGD)
Iowa gambling task (IGT)
expected value
gain–loss frequency
prominent deck B phenomenon
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00232/full
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