AUTHOR=Bibby Peter A. 

TITLE=Loss-Chasing, Alexithymia, and Impulsivity in a Gambling Task: Alexithymia as a Precursor to Loss-Chasing Behavior When Gambling

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2016

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00003

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00003

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Objective:  To examine the relationship between loss-chasing, the propensity to continue gambling to recover from losses, alexithymia, a personality trait associated poor emotional processing and impulsivity, the tendency to act quickly without reflection or consideration of the consequences.
Method:  Two experiments are reported (E1: N=60, Males, 11; Age, 21.6 years. E2: N=49, Males, 22; Age, 21.1 years).  In experiment 1, two groups (low alexithymia, high alexithymia) completed the Cambridge Gambling Task.  Loss-chasing behaviour was investigated.  In experiment 2, both alexithymia (low, high) and impulsivity (low, high) were examined also using the CGT.  A further change was the order of bet proportion from ascending to descending. 
Results: Experiment 1 shows loss-chasing behaviour in participants high in alexithymia but not those low in alexithymia (η_p^2=.09).  Experiment 2 shows loss-chasing behaviour in participants both low and high in alexithymia but it was greater for participants high in alexithymia (η_p^2=.09).  The effect of impulsivity was not statistically significant (η_p^2=.01).  Loss-chasing behaviour was correlated with the emotional facets of alexithymia but not the cognitive facet. 
Conclusions: Alexithymia is a precursor to loss-chasing when gambling and loss-chasing reflects the cognitive and emotional aspects of gambling.  Specifically, the tendency to loss-chase depends on the need to recoup previous losses and failure to process the emotional consequences of those losses.