GamPIT: Examining the Influence of Gambling-Related Cues on Instrumental Behaviour Using Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Objective: Gambling-related harm is a major public health concern, yet the mechanisms through which gambling-related cues influence behaviour remain poorly understood. Across two experiments, we examined whether gambling-related cues influence behaviour through Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT), and whether the strength of PIT effects is associated with risk of gambling harm. Method: Participants completed a single-response Go/No-go PIT task, with gambling harm indexed using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Experiment 1 (N = 129) examined PIT using gambling-related conditioned stimuli (CSs), whereas Experiment 2 (N = 129) additionally incorporated visually matched neutral CSs. Results: Robust appetitive and aversive PIT effects were observed across both experiments (ps < .05; Cohen's ds: .56–1.69), demonstrating that conditioned cues systematically modulated instrumental responding. PIT effects showed little association with gambling severity (PGSI group), suggesting cue-driven behavioural transfer may operate independently of risk status. Neutral cues elicited a more graded PIT function in the approach condition than gambling-related cues, suggesting gambling-specific cues may engage a more categorical, rather than incentive-graded, approach response. Conclusions: These findings provide the first experimental demonstration of PIT in a gambling context and establish PIT as a valuable framework for understanding how conditioned gambling cues influence behaviour.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7208833121