Investigating the Effects of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Tilt and Decision-Making in the Game of Poker
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
Department
Psychology and Special Education
Date of Award
Fall 2024
Abstract
The study of decision-making under risk and uncertainty, as well as emotional factors that influence decision-making, has a long tradition. Poker is a form of risky decision-making with incomplete information, where skill and emotional control can affect the outcome. “Tilt” in poker refers to a state of cognitive distortion and emotional dysregulation in which a player loses the ability to make rational decisions. This study investigated the effects of an emotion regulation strategy designed to preemptively reduce the impact of tilt caused by an unexpected monetary loss, known as a “bad beat” in poker. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions and then played a simulated variant of the game of poker. Additionally, this study provided participants with real-time assistance (odds of winning) on each hand in hopes of making the bad beat more apparent. In contrast to our predictions, participants in all conditions showed improvements in decision-making optimality and bias from the first phase to the second phase of the experiment, indicating that the bad beat hand did not trigger tilt nor hinder decision-making. Surprisingly, the emotion regulation intervention negatively affected optimal decision-making in the first phase for those in the intervention groups. Providing participants with their mathematical probability of winning may have influenced our study’s outcomes.
Advisor
Tracy Henley
Subject Categories
Cognitive Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Dennard, Clinton David, "Investigating the Effects of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Tilt and Decision-Making in the Game of Poker" (2024). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 1237.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/1237
