Modified Iowa Gambling Task (IGTM)

Background

The Modified Iowa Gambling Task (IGTM) is an adaptation of Bechara's Iowa Gambling Task created by Elizabeth Cauffman and colleagues to improve the task for use with adolescents and young adults in developmental research, and to address methodolical issues raised with the original procedure.

Task Procedure

As with the original IGT, the participant is presented four decks of cards, with two decks having "advantageous" payoff schedules and two having "disadvantageous" schedules. Rather than choosing from the four decks as in the original IGT, one of the decks is randomly selected and highlighted on each trial, and respondents must decide whether to "play" or "pass" on that deck. If they play, they incur the gain or loss associated with the card. If they pass, there is no change to their winnings or losings. A total of 120 trials are run, with 30 trials for each of the 4 decks.

Advantageous - Low short-term rewards, low long-term gains Disadvantageous - High short-term rewards, high long-term losses

If the respondent chooses to play the selected deck, they are shown the net gain and their cumulative gain/loss is updated. This differs from the original IGT, which presented two separate gain and loss values with each card.

What it Measures

The Modified Iowa Gambling Task is a general assessment of decision-making and impulsivity.

Psychological domains

• Decision-making: Response to potential rewards and losses over time
• Risk-taking: Preference for high-reward/high risk or low-reward/low-risk
• Delay Discounting: Foregoing immediate rewards for better long-term outcomes

Main Performance Metrics

• Percent of Advantageous Selections Overall: Percentage of play-response to Advantageous decks across blocks
• Percent of Disadvantageous Selections Overall: Percentage of play-response to Disadvantageous decks across blocks
• Net Total Overall: Difference between percent of advantageous and disadvantageous selections across blocks
• Percent of Advantageous Selections per Block: Percentage of play-response to Advantageous decks on the 1st through 5th blocks (measures change in strategy over time)
• Percent of Disadvantageous Selections per Block: Percentage of play-response to Disadvantageous decks on the 1st through 5th blocks (measures change in strategy over time)
• Net Total per Block: Difference between percent of advantageous and disadvantageous selections on the 1st through 5th blocks (measures change in strategy over time)

Psychiatric Conditions

IGTM performance tends to be impaired or enhanced in adolescents and young adults with the following psychiatric conditions.

• Substance Use Disorders
• Conduct Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Schizophrenia
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Anxiety Disorders
• Eating Disorders