Project Details
Projekt
RP7: Assessment of in-game craving and inherent factors in gaming and online gambling in semi-natural settings and biofeedback-guided cue exposure training
Subject Area
General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
Term
since 2020
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 411232260
RP7 focuses on investigating gaming- and gambling-inherent factors in gaming disorder and online gambling disorder. It aims to uncover core mechanisms (similarities, differences, and interaction effects) between the two disorders. In addition, the modification of addiction-specific responses through biofeedback-guided cue exposure training (CET) is of particular interest. In current addiction research, close links between addiction-associated stimuli and behavior are assumed to play an important role in the maintenance of addictive disorders. An important mechanism here is cue reactivity, which describes a wide range of subjective, physiological, and neurochemical responses. Closely related to cue reactivity are craving and emotional arousal, which increase when individuals with an addictive disorder are exposed to addiction-specific stimuli. This phenomenon can be well visualized by various psychophysiological measures such as skin conductance response (SCR). Since it is known from addiction research that addiction-specific responses can be modified using CET, we aim to reduce the variables related to cue reactivity experimentally using a combination of CET and biofeedback training (BT). Therefore, the study is divided into two parts. In the first part, four groups (individuals with casual or pathological gaming use, individuals with casual or pathological gambling use, n=32 each group) will partake in gaming and gambling sessions in a semi-natural setting while craving, emotional arousal, and SCR are measured. Results from Part 1 will be used for adaptive testing in Part 2. In Part 2, participants of all groups will be exposed to gaming and gambling videos while simultaneously undergoing biofeedback-guided CET via SCR. Craving, emotional arousal, implicit associations, and SCR will be measured before and after training. As the training aims to modify addiction-related responses, craving, emotional arousal and positive implicit associations are expected to be reduced after training. In order to analyze the mechanisms in an optimal and realistic way, the study will be conducted in a semi-natural setting. RP7 has clear synergies with RP2 and RP8 (proof-of-concept studies) as well as RP11 (gaming disorder and gender aspects).
DFG Programme
Research Units
