The Australian College of Clinical Psychologists committee and members gathered at CQUniversity Bundaberg recently to hear about Dr Matthew Rockloff's latest research, which examines the psychological factors influencing gambling behavior on poker machines.

Dr Rockloff*, a senior lecturer with the Department of Behavioural and Social Sciences, explained his research has a focus on the ‘Escape' and ‘Excitement' motivations associated with poker machine gambling.

Dr Rockloff .. spreading the word on gambling behaviour

"Gambling behaviour is motivated in part by a desire to escape negative self-reflection. Gambling behaviour is also motivated by the excitement of the experience," he said.

"Consumer-protection measures, advertisements and therapeutic practice can discourage people from the use of gambling as an escape from their problems, and can help at-risk gamblers understand the relationship between their experience of excitement and potentially destructive gambling behaviour."

Dr Rockloff recently presented at a special conference of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Ministerial Advisory Council (RGMAC).  The Government established the RGMAC in late 2005 as a direct source of advice to the Government on responsible gambling policy and gambling research priorities. 

Next month (Dec 3-5), he will also present at the National Association for Gambling Studies Conference in Adelaide.

* Dr Rockloff received a Ph.D. in social psychology from Florida Atlantic University in 1999. Prior to residence at CQUniversity, he served as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Nevada's Centre for Applied Research, the state's largest survey research organization. In this position, he conducted surveys for America's Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr Rockloff has been honoured as a Jack Walker Scholar and twice as an Aurel B. Newell Fellow.