L’illusion de contrôle liée au jeu auprès d’universitaires : le bénéfice du doute? / The Illusion of Control in Gambling among University Students: The Benefit of the Doubt?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4309/jgi.2019.42.6Keywords:
illusion de contrôle, optimisme, lieu de contrôle, statistiques, probabilités, conviction, doute, universitaires, jeux de hasard et d’argent, illusion of control, optimism, locus of control, probabilities, doubt, students, gamblingAbstract
Since previous research has indicated that high levels of education might protect against gambling problems, studies have tested the hypothesis that academics have fewer erroneous thoughts related to gambling, such as the illusion of control (i.e., the overestimation of the contribution of personal skill in gambling outcomes). However, the results of these studies were equivocal. The illusion of control can, however, be fostered by various sociodemographic, dispositional, and cognitive factors that may be present in highly educated individuals, including degree of optimism, internal of the locus of control, knowledge of statistics and probabilities (SP) and, finally, the degree of conviction about gambling beliefs. Indeed, it has been shown that pathological gamblers not only have more irrational thoughts, but they also tend to be more convinced of the correctness of these thoughts. For example, an individual might think that a lucky charm might help them win, but not be too sure how right they are to hold this belief (low degree of conviction). On the contrary, a person might be convinced that lucky charms definitely help them win, or definitely do not help them win (both of which are examples of a high degree of conviction). Based on data previously collected by Smith and Giroux (2018) investigating the gambling behavior of 142 university students with and without SP knowledge, this study examines the relationships between the illusion of control in gambling and factors known to influence the illusion of control. Secondly, this article seeks to verify the predictive potential of these individual variables on the illusion of control. The results indicate that a high level of SP knowledge is associated with a higher degree of optimism (p <.01), as well as fewer superstitions (p <.01). Moreover, the less university students are convinced of the rightness of their beliefs, the more they report an illusion of control (p <.01). Within this sample, being a man, having little SP knowledge and a low degree of conviction statistically predict more illusion of control (p <.01). The discussion explores how doubt can be beneficial for educated individuals who engage in such erroneous thinking.
Résumé
Puisque la recherche antérieure a indiqué que de hauts niveaux d’éducation pourraient protéger contre les problèmes de jeu, des études ont testé l’hypothèse selon laquelle les universitaires entretiennent moins de pensées erronées liées aux jeux de hasard et d’argent (JHA), telle l’illusion de contrôle qui consiste à surestimer l’apport de l’habileté personnelle dans les résultats du jeu. Or, les résultats de ces études ont été équivoques. L’illusion de contrôle peut toutefois être favorisée par différents facteurs sociodémographiques, dispositionnels et cognitifs que peuvent présenter des individus fortement scolarisés, soit le degré d’optimisme, l’internalité du lieu de contrôle, les connaissances des statistiques et des probabilités (SP) et, finalement, le degré de conviction quant aux croyances liées au jeu. En effet, il a été démontré que les joueurs pathologiques ont non seulement plus de pensées erronées, mais ils tendent également à être davantage convaincus de la justesse de ces croyances. Ainsi, quelqu’un pourrait endosser un certain nombre de pensées erronées, mais exprimer du doute quant à la justesse de celles-ci. Par exemple, quelqu’un pourrait penser qu’un porte-bonheur aidera (un peu, modérément, beaucoup) à gagner, mais ne pas être certain d’avoir raison à ce sujet. Contrairement, une personne pourrait être persuadée (haut degré de conviction) que les porte-bonheurs aident ou n’aident pas. S’appuyant sur les données préalablement recueillies par Smith et Giroux (2018) pour une étude sur les comportements de jeu de 142 universitaires avec ou sans connaissances des statistiques et des probabilités (SP), la présente étude examine les relations entre l’illusion de contrôle liée aux JHA et ces facteurs connus pour influencer l’illusion de contrôle. Deuxièmement, cet article cherche à vérifier le potentiel prédictif de ces variables individuelles sur l’illusion de contrôle. Les résultats indiquent qu’un niveau élevé de connaissances des SP est associé à un degré supérieur d’optimisme (p < .01), ainsi qu’à moins de superstitions (p < .01). De plus, moins les universitaires sont convaincus quant à leurs croyances, plus ils rapportent d’illusion de contrôle (p < .01). Au sein de cet échantillon, le fait d’être un homme, d’avoir peu de connaissances des SP ainsi qu’un degré de conviction peu élevé prédisent statistiquement plus d'illusion de contrôle (p < .01). La discussion porte sur les avantages possibles de la présence de doute auprès d’individus scolarisés faisant état de ce type de pensées erronées.
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