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Balloon Analog Risk Task - Method File

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141 views5 pages

Balloon Analog Risk Task - Method File

Uploaded by

deifbsi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Assessment of computerized Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) through PEBL

Aim

To assess risk-taking behavior in decision-making.

Plan

The Balloon Analog Risk Task, otherwise known as BART, is a computerized decision-
making task that is used to assess risk-taking behaviour. The BART simulates a real-world
situation, involving actual risky behaviour, where taking a risk up until a certain point yields a
reward.

Hypothesis
H1: There is a difference in the mean amount collected by the subject across the three
conditions with different potential rewards.
H0. There is no difference in the average number of pumps made by the subject across
the three conditions with different potential rewards.

Materials

Balloon analog risk task on PEBL. The Psychology Experiment Building Language
(PEBL) version of the test is used in the current experiment (Mueller & Piper, 2014).

Procedure

Setting up & Arrangement

The participant is seated comfortably. Rapport has to be established. After the basic
orientation to the test, the participant will be asked to start the test on their computer.

Intake process

The participant has been chosen based on convenience sampling.


Participant details

Name (initials):

Age:

Sex:

Education:

Procedure
A computer is utilized to complete the balloon analog risk task. Each participant receives
90 balloons in three distinct colors during the task. One by one, the balloons emerge. Participants
must press the "Balloon Pump" button. The balloon will grow in size with each click of the
balloon pump, adding five cents to a makeshift bank with each click. The money that is being
accumulated in each participant's temporary bank is not displayed to them. The participant can
move the money gathered into a permanent bank account at any time by selecting the "Collect $"
link.

If the participant wishes to continue pumping the balloon, they can do so, until
eventually, the balloon explodes, resulting in the temporary funds resetting to zero and the next
balloon showing up. However, if the participant collects the money before the balloon explodes,
they can see the amount earned on that particular balloon via the tab labeled ‘Last Balloon.’ The
money in the permanent bank will not be lost when a balloon explodes.

Instructions

The instructions will be displayed on the screen. The participant can be guided to read the
instructions while it is simultaneously read aloud by the experimenter.

In this game you will get 90 balloons, one at a time.

● Click the button labeled Press to Pump to inflate the balloon.


● You will get 1 point in your temporary bank each time you press the pump.
● The goal is to get the largest amount of points.
● At any time you can save the points you have earned by clicking on the button labeled
“Press to Collect Points”. Clicking this button will also start you on the next balloon.
● The amount you earned on the previous balloon is shown in the box labeled “Points on
Last Balloon”.
● The amount you have earned during the game is shown in the box labeled “Total Points
Earned”.
● Be aware that at some point the balloon will blow up.
● If the balloon blows up before you click the Collect Points button, the points earned with
that balloon are lost.
● Exploded balloons do not affect your Total Points Earned
● Each balloon has a different capacity for holding air (life) and therefore the balloon might
even be able to fill the entire screen based on the number of pumps.
● You decide how much to pump up each balloon before you cash the points.

Debriefing

Thank you for your participation in this experiment. Your data will be kept confidential
and will only be used for academic purposes. The purpose of this experiment was to see the
extent of risk taking when put under certain conditions. Majority of the participants are
influenced by the reinforcement they receive based on the pumps and the points collected and
adjust their risk taking behaviour accordingly. If you have any further queries regarding the
experiment, you can ask.

Controls/Precautions & Ethical Considerations

● Extraneous variables, like environmental distractions, participant anxiety etc. are


controlled during the test to the best of the ability of the experimenter.

● Participant is debriefed after the experiment.

Key Points
● Risk-taking behaviour is any consciously or unconsciously controlled behavioir that
involves a certain degree of danger or harm while also presenting an opportunity to gain
some form of reward.
● The Balloon Analog Risk Task is a computerized decision-making task that is used to
assess risk-taking behaviour.
● The participants are asked to perform the BART in 90 trials with three different colored
balloons that appear in random order.
● Data is collected for the propensity to take an increased risk in order to gain maximum
reward.

Ballon type

Type 1 Balloon (Red/ Orange)


This balloon often represents a high-risk or burst condition. Pumping a red balloon
usually carries a higher risk of bursting, leading to a loss of all accumulated rewards if it bursts.
Type 2 Balloon (Yellow)
This balloon generally represents a medium-risk condition. Pumping a yellow balloon has
moderate risk, balancing between the potential reward and the likelihood of bursting.
Type 3 Balloon (Green/Blue)
This balloon typically represents a low-risk or safe condition.

Data Analysis
The primary measure in the BART is the average number of pumps per balloon before a
participant chooses to stop or the balloon explodes. This average is used as an index of risk-
taking behaviour. Higher averages suggest greater risk-taking tendencies, while lower averages
indicate more cautious behaviour.
Other parameters that can be measured are:
1. The total amount of earnings
2. The number of exploded balloons

Results and Discussion


Table 1

Name Mean/Average Total number of Average/Mean


Pump bursts time taken

Table 2

Average
Name Type of the Ballon Mean/Average amount
number of
collected
pumps

1 :Red

2:Yellow

3: Blue/Green

References

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