1. Transfer from goal-directed behavior to stimulus-response habits and its modulation by acute stress in individuals with risky gaming behavior.
- Author
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Schmid AM, Thomas TA, Blümel S, Erdal NK, Müller SM, Merz CJ, Wolf OT, Brand M, Müller A, and Steins-Loeber S
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Young Adult, Adult, Female, Risk-Taking, Behavior, Addictive psychology, Adolescent, Goals, Stress, Psychological psychology, Habits, Reward, Cues, Video Games psychology
- Abstract
Habitual responses towards addiction-related cues play a relevant role in the development and maintenance of addictions. Such automatic responses may be more likely under stress, as stress has been shown to induce a shift from goal-directed to habitual behavior. The current study investigated these mechanisms in risky gaming behavior. Individuals with risky gaming behavior (n = 68), as established by a structured clinical interview, and a matched control group (n = 67) completed a Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT) paradigm with gaming-related cues and rewards. After the Pavlovian training, participants underwent a stress (Trier Social Stress Test) or control condition before performing the instrumental training and the transfer phase of the PIT paradigm. To assess habitual behavior, the gaming-related rewards were devalued after half of the transfer phase. In both groups, gaming-related cues enhanced the choice of the gaming-related reward and this gaming PIT effect was reduced, however, not eliminated by the devaluation. Unexpectedly, stress did not significantly increase responding for the gaming-related reward in participants aware of the stimulus-outcome associations, however seemed to enhance habitual responding in unaware participants. Our findings underline the relevance of gaming-related cues in triggering habitual responses, which may undermine attempts to change a problematic gaming behavior., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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