New perspectives on emotional processes and decision making in the game of poker : with special emphasis on the tilting phenomenon
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Poker, especially on-line poker, is a game of skill and chance that requires constant and rapid decision making under varying levels of risk and uncertainty. Poker playing skill encompasses both technical and emotional elements. In poker, it is possible to acquire enough experience and skill to win money in the long run. Yet every poker player, regardless of his/her skill, occasionally loses. Poor, out-of-control poker decision making due to negative emotions typically elicited by monetary losses is commonly known as tilting and often results in superfluous losses. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate psychological and physiological emotional processes associated with poker decision making. Studies I III were based on Internet-questionnaire data. Study I (N=60) was qualitative, and Studies II (N=354) and III (N=417) were correlative. The emphasis here was on exploring the underpinnings of the tilting phenomenon and the differences in emotion regulation abilities between experienced and inexperienced poker players. In Study IV (N=29), psychophysiological reactivity (electrodermal activity; EDA) was measured in a laboratory setting while participants played the No Limit Texas Hold'em (NLHE) poker variant on a computer. Overall, the results suggest that tilting behavior is instigated by loss-induced feelings of injustice/unfairness (moral indignation). These feelings are also associated with chasing behavior, where players attempt irrationally to regain the money that they feel is rightfully theirs. The aftermath of tilting was characterized by reports of sleeping problems and rumination over lost resources (Study I). A higher tendency to experience loss-induced negative feelings was associated with a higher reported severity of tilting (Study III). Experienced players, when compared with inexperienced ones, exhibited a more mature/impassive disposition towards losing and tilting (Studies I III), engaged in less self-rumination and more self-reflection, and made normatively better poker decisions (Study II). However, surprisingly, experienced players also reported more severe tilting (Study III). The EDA elicited while participants played poker on a computer was associated with various poker decisions (actions): Pre-decision EDA levels increased in the order of folding, calling and betting/raising. Furthermore, actions taken with strong and weak poker hands elicited higher EDA compared with actions taken with poker hands of medium/uncertain strength (Study IV). The results from Studies I III shed light on the associations between poker experience, emotion regulation abilities ( mental skills ) and tilting behavior. The results from Study IV allow for situating the game of poker within the theoretical framework of economic and neuroscientific theories of emotions and decision making by demonstrating that the EDA associated with NLHE decision making conceivably indexes the anticipated utility of the decisions.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Jussi Palomäki
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1605226066