Iowa Gambling Task

The Iowa Gambling Task is a computerized neuropsychological test that simulates real-world decision-making and measures related brain electrical activity. It involves presenting subjects with four decks of cards and requiring them to select a card from one deck at a time, mimicking real-life affective decision making.From: Advances in Cognitive Ergonomics [2019], Neurocognitive and behavioral markers in DUI recidivists [2019], Behavioural Adaptation and Road Safety [2019]

The Heart of the Matter?

View Chapter

Purchase Book

Published in John Flach, Fred Voorhorst, A Meaning Processing Approach to Cognition, 2019

John Flach, Fred Voorhorst

In the Iowa Gambling Task, the anticipative GSR response that most people experienced when considering the ‘bad’ decks would be evidence of this somatic marker that functions as an automated alarm signal warning of potential danger. The impact is to ‘bias’ these people toward the safer choices—in effect leading them to make choices that avoid the risks. In the particular case of the Iowa Gambling Task, this leads to more effective decision making (i.e., consistent with maximizing expected value). It seems that for patients with damage similar to Gage’s, this alarm does not sound, allowing them to eventually be seduced by the larger immediate payoffs in the ‘bad’ decks. This in turn exposes them to the large risks that lead to calamitous results.

Neurocognitive and behavioral markers in DUI recidivists

View Article

Journal Information

Published in Traffic Injury Prevention, 2019

Claudio Terranova, Mariaelena Tagliabue, Giorgia Cona, Evelyn Gianfranchi, Laura Di Pietra, Giulio Vidotto, Massimo Montisci

The Iowa Gambling Task, a computerized test that mimics real-life affective decision making (Kasar et al. 2010), can be used to evoke the cognitive processes implied in decision making and measure related brain electrical activity.

Iowa Gambling Task

Explore chapters and articles related to this topic

The Heart of the Matter?

Neurocognitive and behavioral markers in DUI recidivists