3段階の抽選を経てアタリが確定するスロットマシン型ゲームにおいて, 結果パターンが反応時間(潜時)に及ぼす効果が検討されてきた。スロットマシン実機筐体を用いたシミュレータでの先行研究では, アタリの生起頻度と報酬が, アタリとニアミス(1, 2番目の停止図柄がアタリ図柄であるハズレ)の生起後の次試行の開始ボタンの反応時間(潜時)を増加させる効果が確かめられてきた。それと同時に, 個々の変化量よりも頻度と報酬を同時に変化させることがより重要であることも示唆されてきた。本研究ではまず, 頻度と報酬の変化を組み合わせた条件での計測データを増やし, その効果が再現されることを確認した。さらに回転リールの停止反応を分析することで, アタリの頻度, 報酬の違いがリーチ時(1, 2番目の停止図柄がアタリ図柄で, 最後の停止反応に臨む状況)の停止反応潜時を変化させる可能性が示唆されることが分かった。
これらの基礎研究のほかに, 本年度では, 過去の研究成果をまとめ, 書籍とする計画がすすめられ, 三田哲学会叢書の一冊として「ゲームの面白さとは何だろうか」を上梓することができた。
It has been long examined whether the outcome pictorial patterns could affected a response time (latency) to the start of the next trial in the slot-machine game in which there were three stages until the final result of a trial was determined. We repeatedly showed that frequencies and amounts of the win increased the response time from the occurrence of the win or the near-miss (pictorial patterns of the first and second stages were same but only the third was different) to the start of the next trial using the realistic simulator of the slot-machine. We also found that the increment effect when both frequencies and amounts were changed at the same time was stronger than when one of them was modified. In this study, we confirmed these previous finding on sixteen subjects and suggested that the response time from the second stage to the third stage (the final outcome was received) were changed by the combination between frequencies and amounts of rewards.
In this grant-year, we also published a book titled "What is the fun of games?" for summarizing our previous and present works.