Andrew William Meyers

The University of Memphis | U of M · Department of Psychology

Problem gambling screeners are easily accessible and potentially reduce harm for those individuals who engage in risky levels of gambling behavior. However, a recent study found that when frequent gamblers were offered the chance to complete a screener and receive feedback, most chose not to do so. In this paper, secondary analysis was completed on...

To explore whether consumers see and understand warning messages on scratch-off lottery tickets, two laboratory observation studies were conducted. In the first study, 64 undergraduates were randomly assigned to either freely interact with a lottery ticket (i.e. minimal instruction condition) or search for information on the ticket related to gambl...

Objective: The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to examine the overall prevalence of dropout from psychological treatments for problem gambling and gambling disorder and to examine how study, client, and treatment variables influenced dropout rates. Method: A systematic search was conducted to identify studies of cognitive a...

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is limited by clients’ failure to complete homework assignments. Widespread growth in smartphone use and application (app) software provides the potential to enhance the homework completion. In this pilot study, we examined the demographics of clients who declined to use an app to complete homework...

The legalization of recreational cannabis for adults is becoming more common across the United States of America, as well as other counties around the world. Previous research has documented shared risk factors between cannabis use and gambling. Experimental studies have shown cognitive effects of cannabis that might influence gambling behavior. Th...

There is a need to better understand how to motivate individuals experiencing addiction-related concerns, such as gambling problems, to engage in help-seeking behaviors. This experiment tested whether online messages based on principles of motivational interviewing (MI) could be used to encourage individuals to complete a problem gambling screener....

High rates of treatment refusal and dropout have complicated the delivery of psychological treatment for gambling disorder, which continues accumulating evidence for efficacy. Incorporating motivational interviewing and addressing outcome expectations into psychological treatments has been shown to increase overall attendance. However, no studies h...

A growing literature supports the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapies, motivational interventions, and personalized feedback to treat problem and disordered gambling. However, there is currently debate as to how much treatment is necessary. Some studies indicate that attending a greater number of sessions is related to enhanced therapeutic o...

Personal Feedback Interventions (PFIs) have been widely used to reduce the amount of time and money individuals spend on gambling. A central component of these interventions is personalized information about an individual’s gambling behavior, often in comparison to others’ gambling. The purpose of the present review and meta-analysis was to evaluat...

The negative psychological effects of public stigma on disordered gamblers have been well documented. Public stigma deters treatment-seeking and other help-seeking behaviors, and negatively impacts individuals’ view of themselves. Different types of disordered gambling activities may attract different degrees of stigma. One increasingly popular for...

Although readability has been traditionally operationalized and even become synonymous with the concept of word and sentence length, modern text analysis theory and technology have shifted toward multidimensional comprehension-based analytic techniques. In an effort to make use of these advancements and demonstrate their general utility, 6 commonly...

Premature termination challenges the successful outcomes of psychological treatments for gambling disorder. To date, research has primarily identified clients who are at particular risk for dropping out of treatment. A smaller but growing body of literature has investigated when dropout occurs. Typically, those studies have not considered improveme...

Social influence affects college students’ gambling behaviours. However, few studies have experimentally investigated the influence of social interaction on college students’ gambling behaviour, and those studies that have yielded mixed findings. Women college students (n = 109) who endorsed recreational gambling behaviour were randomly assigned to...

Social influence affects college students’ gambling behaviours. However, few studies have experimentally investigated the influence of social interaction on college students’ gambling behaviour, and those studies that have yielded mixed findings. Women college students (n = 109) who endorsed recreational gambling behaviour were randomly assigned to...

Disordered gamblers frequently present with concurrent anxiety, depressive, personality, and substance use disorders, which may complicate treatment. Although there is a need for a thorough assessment, some questionnaires may prove lengthy for clients and clinicians. Thus, there is a need for brief screens for identifying co-occurring psychopatholo...

In the United States, warning messages were first included on tobacco products in the 1960 s, and were subsequently added to alcohol products in the 1980 s. However, they have yet to be applied comprehensively to gambling. Several jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, have mandated responsible gaming requirements, including p...

Gambling warning messages have been shown to lead to prevention and modification of risk-taking behaviors. Laboratory studies have shown messages can increase a player’s knowledge about gambling specific risks, modify their gambling-related cognitive distortions, and even change play. In the present laboratory study, participants were randomly assi...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is significantly more prevalent among disordered gamblers than in the general adult population. Despite this, it remains unclear whether co-occurring ADHD is associated with clinically significant differences that call for specialized assessments and treatment planning. The purpose of this article was...

Italy has experienced a rapid growth in gambling accessibility, expenditures and problems. Gambling-related cognitive distortions are established risk factors for disordered gambling, although little is known about the role of gambling-related cognitive distortions among Italians. To establish a valid tool for assessing these distortions, an Italia...

Most high school adolescents have reported past year gambling, and males gamble more frequently and problematically than females. Ethnic minority adolescents appear to be gambling at a higher rate than Caucasian adolescents. There is evidence indicating that adolescent gambling outcome expectancies are correlated with gambling behavior, but limited...

the Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire with Treatment-Seeking Disordered Gamblers, Addictive Behaviors (2015), doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.12.016 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyeditin...

Most high school adolescents have reported past year gambling, and males gamble more frequently and problematically than females. Ethnic minority adolescents appear to be gambling at a higher rate than Caucasian adolescents. There is evidence indicating that adolescent gambling outcome expectancies are correlated with gambling behavior, but limited...

Gambling-related self-efficacy has been shown to correspond with treatment success and maintenance of treatment gains. Accordingly, there is a need for gambling assessment measures that have been validated with treatment-seeking individuals. In this study, we reported on the evaluation of a measure of perceived self-efficacy to control gambling beh...

The acquired preparedness model posits that impulsivity influences the development of outcome expectancies that then influence the engagement in a specific risk taking behavior. The purpose of this study was to test the acquired preparedness model for gambling behavior of college students using a multidimensional approach to impulsivity. Employing...

Compared to college females, college males are more likely to report frequent gambling. Research on gambling outcome expectancies has shown that expectations about gambling influence gambling behavior and that endorsement of particular expectancies differs by gender. Knowledge regarding the differential predictive utility of specific gambling expec...

Expectancy theory posits that decisions to engage in a given behavior are closely tied to expectations of the outcome of that behavior. Gambling outcome expectancies have predicted adolescent gambling and gambling problems. When high school students' outcome expectancies were measured by Wickwire et al. (Psychol Addict Behav 24(1):75-88 2010), the...

The US Spanish-speaking population has rapidly increased in recent years and there is a need for valid Spanish measures to assess gambling behaviour. This study reports on the development of a Spanish measure of self-efficacy to control gambling behaviour (Gambling Self-Efficacy Questionnaire [GSEQ]; May, Whelan, Steenbergh, & Meyers, 2003). One hu...

Impulsivity has been implicated as a contributing factor in the development of gambling problems among college students, but attempts to confirm this relation have been inconsistent. One explanation for these incongruent findings is that impulsivity may be multidimensional and that distinct dimensions differentially predict separate behaviors. Usin...

The U.S. Spanish-speaking population has rapidly increased in recent decades and there is a need for psychometrically supported assessment measures for researchers and clinicians who work with this population. A Spanish version of a self-report measure of gamblers' cognitive distortions [Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire (GBQ); Steenbergh, Meyers, Wh...

This project explored church members’ willingness to use religious resources to overcome a gambling problem. Participants from congregations with divergent doctrine on gambling (Roman Catholic, n = 156; Southern Baptist, n = 93) were randomly assigned to imagine having gambling or depression problems. Expected religious support and the likelihood o...

The proposed DSM-V changes related to the pathological gambling diagnosis hold far-reaching implications, yet these modifications have been met with little public attention. This letter addresses the three changes proposed including the diagnosis' reclassification alongside other addictive behaviors, the lowering of the pathological gambling thresh...

This project sought to identify adolescent outcome expectancies for gambling and to evaluate their relation to gambling behavior among a sample of urban adolescents. In a preliminary study, 50 outcome expectancies were identified on the basis of a literature review or generated after surveying 35 urban high school students. These expectancies were...

The past three decades have witnessed significant increases in legalized gambling opportunities in the United States, with all but two states allowing some form of legalized gambling. These opportunities have been accompanied by record levels of gambling expenditures. For example, Americans spent over $90 billion on legal gambling activities in 200...

This study explored the relation between gambling behavior among college students and the perceived environment, the component of problem behavior theory (Jessor & Jessor, 1977) that assesses the ways that youth perceive their parents and peers. Two hundred and thirty-three ethnically diverse undergraduates at a large urban public university comple...

This study examined the gambling of a cohort of U.S. Air Force recruits (N = 31,104) and the relationship between their gambling and health-risk behaviors. Participants provided self-report data regarding gambling and health-related behaviors. Results suggest that 10.4% of participants gambled weekly or more often, 6.2% reported gambling problems,...

The authors investigated behavioral indicators of pathological gambling in a college student sample. The authors administered a diagnostic interview for pathological gambling to 159 college students, who also completed a demographic questionnaire, and a self-report measure of psychological distress. Consistent patterns of gambling behavior associat...

The psychometric properties of two pathological gambling (PG) screening instruments, the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the Massachusetts Gambling Screen-DSM-IV subscale (MAGS), were explored in a sample of college students (N = 159). Participants completed the two screening instruments, a diagnostic interview for PG, the Gambling-Timeline F...

The current study was an exploration of gambling-related perceptions and their relation to gambling behavior among young adult college students. Three hundred and two ethnically diverse undergraduates at a large urban public university completed a survey to assess their perceptions of the availability, risks, and benefits of gambling, and the South...

Pathological gamblers are prone to leave treatment early and often display low levels of motivation within treatment. Use of brief treatments that emphasize reducing client ambivalence through motivational techniques may help increase the likelihood of treatment compliance. This case study describes a 5-session treatment of pathological gambling us...

Over the past 30 years there has been a dramatic increase in the availability of convenient and legal gambling opportunities. Most people can reach a casino in a matter of a few hours, lottery tickets in minutes, or an online gaming site in seconds. Accompanying this proliferation of gambling is a growing understanding that between 5% and 9% of adu...

The present study considered the relation between adolescent gambling behavior and the perceived environment, the component of Jessor and Jessor's (1977) Problem Behavior Theory that assesses the ways that adolescents perceive the attitudes and behaviors of parents and peers. The predominantly African-American sample included 188 sophomores from tw...

This study investigated the prevalence of gambling, gambling related NCAA violations, and disordered gambling in student-athletes (n = 736) with a comparison cohort of students (n = 1,071) at four universities. Student-athletes reported similar rates of gambling frequency, use of a bookmaker, and disordered gambling as students. After accounting fo...

This laboratory study assessed the effectiveness of warning messages intended to aid in the control of gambling. Participants were 120 undergraduate students from an urban state university who reported previous gambling activity. They were recruited to play a computerized roulette game with imaginary money. Money left at the end of play was exchang...

The present study investigated a primary assumption of the cognitive theory of problem gambling, that gambling-related irrational beliefs lead directly to problematic gambling behaviour. Participants (N = 114) received a message designed to increase their illusion of control (IOC) over a computerised roulette game, a message designed to decrease th...

This analog study examined whether warning and brief intervention messages would increase gamblers' knowledge of odds, alter level of irrational beliefs, and influence gambling behaviour on a computerized roulette game. College‐age participants (N = 101) were matched on level of gambling irrational beliefs and self‐efficacy and then randomly assign...

The Gambling Timeline Followback (G-TLFB), a measure of gambling behavior that uses the timeline followback methodology, was psychometrically evaluated with samples of frequent-gambling young adults. Seven dimensions of gambling behavior were assessed: type, frequency, duration, intent, risk, win-loss, and consumption of alcohol while gambling. The...

Instruments to assess individuals' self-efficacy for the control of addictive behaviors have been useful for monitoring behavior change, predicting maintenance of treatment gains, and identifying potential relapse situations. The Gambling Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GSEQ) was developed to assess perceived self-efficacy to control gambling behavior...

The Gamblers' Beliefs Questionnaire (GBQ) is a self-report measure of gamblers' cognitive distortions. GBQ test items were constructed on the basis of theory, empirical evidence, and expert review. Four hundred three adults completed the initial set of items, and 21 items were selected to make up the final GBQ. The factor structure of the GBQ consi...

Although weight gain is a well-established consequence of quitting smoking, the energy balance mechanisms responsible for postcessation weight gain are not clear. Furthermore, although gender and ethnicity are important predictors of postcessation weight gain, no studies have evaluated the effects of these variables on changes in energy balance. Th...

Can psychologists earn a living working in sport psychology? The authors surveyed all professional members of American Psychological Association Division 47 and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology regarding their income and work in sport psychology. Four hundred and thirty-three individuals responded. Sport scientists we...

This study experimentally examined the cohesion-performance relationship. Undergraduate male volunteers were randomly assigned to 3-man basketball teams and teams were randomly assigned to receive either a cohesion-producing or a cohesion-reducing manipulation before competing. Level of cohesion and individual as well as team performance variables...

To assess the effects of different cognitive orientations focused on social comparison or self-comparison, followed by success or failure feedback, on mood, task persistence, and task difficulty choice in children with cancer. Children with cancer (N = 79) and a group of age-matched controls (N = 72 were randomly assigned in a 2 (Achievement Orient...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a history of depression in female smokers (age 18-65) who did not self-report any current depression was associated with adherence to a multisession, multicomponent smoking-cessation program. Participants in a 13-week cognitive-behavioral group program plus random assignment to nicotine gum, appeti...

Forty women smokers were randomly assigned to smoking cessation for a 10-day period of time, either during the follicular or the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Measurements of dietary intake and body weight were collected during the same phase the previous (smoking as usual) month and during the cessation phase. Physical activity was contro...

Participants in an 8-session, community based smoking cessation intervention rated whether they would stay quit if they experienced weight gain. The majority reported that they would not relapse to smoking, even after a 20-lb, (9.07-kg) weight gain. Those who were weight concerned were more likely to be female, to weight less and be normal or under...

Participants in an 8-session, community-based smoking cessation intervention rated whether they would stay quit if they experienced weight gain. The majority reported that they would not relapse to smoking, even after a 20-lb. (9.07-kg) weight gain. Those who were weight concerned were more likely to be female, to weigh less and be normal or underw...

Estimates of postcessation weight gain vary widely. This study determined the magnitude of weight gain in a cohort using both point prevalence and continuous abstinence criteria for cessation. Participants were 196 volunteers who participated in a smoking cessation program and who either continuously smoked (n = 118), were continuously abstinent (n...

Estimates of postcessation weight gain vary widely. This study determined the magnitude of weight gain in a cohort using both point prevalence and continuous abstinence criteria for cessation. Participants were 196 volunteers who participated in a smoking cessation program and who either continuously smoked (n = 118), were continuously abstinent (n...

This experiment evaluated the efficacy of television delivery of a behavioral weight reduction program. Seventy-one overweight adults were randomly assigned to a live-contact weight loss group that was videotaped for viewing by other groups, a live-contact group that was not videotaped, a television-delivered group that observed the videotaped weig...

While we might debate the role of sport in our culture, its influence is certainly pervasive. Each day millions of Americans engage in some form of competition, training, or physical exercise. Such popularity and the value our culture places on competition have made sport a valid area of psychological inquiry. Within the cognitive behavioral model,...

This experiment examined the metabolic effects of smoking during rest and light activity under naturalistic conditions. Thirty-nine male subjects first completed a submaximal graded exercise treadmill test to standardize activity level. Then 3 groups of subjects--smokers smoking (SS), smokers not smoking (SNS), and nonsmokers (NS)--were exposed to...

Childhood depression, anxiety, and aggression assessment instruments were examined in a sample of 8- to 11-year-old elementary school children. A multitrait-multimethod design was used to evaluate self-, parent-, teacher-, and peer-report on each of the three traits. Results found the measures exhibited significant convergent and discriminant valid...

This study examined the relative efficacy of cognitive-behavioral and behavioral treatment approaches for bulimia nervosa. Female bulimic Ss were randomly assigned to cognitive-behavioral, behavioral, or attention placebo conditions. At posttreatment, 92% of the cognitive-behavioral group, 100% of the behavioral group, and 69% of the nonspecific se...

The relationship between smoking status and body mass index (weight/height) was evaluated, controlling for demographics, dietary intake, and physical activity. Subjects were 10,778 adult respondents from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Results indicate that never smokers and long-term quitters had similar re...

The relationship between smoking status and body mass index (weight/height²) was evaluated, controlling for demographics, dietary intake, and physical activity. Subjects were 10,778 adult respondents from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Results indicate that never smokers and long-term quitters had similar r...

The effects of nicotine chewing gum and cigarettes on resting energy expenditure (REE) were evaluated. Twenty smoking women participated in nicotine gum and smoking administration, after which their REEs were measured. Results indicate an acute increase in REE for both nicotine gum and cigarettes. Metabolic rates for nicotine gum slowly returned to...

The effects of nicotine chewing gum and cigarettes on resting energy expenditure (REE) were evaluated. 20 smoking women participated in nicotine gum and smoking administration, after which their REEs were measured. Results indicate an acute increase in REE for both nicotine gum and cigarettes. Metabolic rates for nicotine gum slowly returned to bas...

To assess the mediational influence of children's goal structures on mood, task choice, and task persistence, 10- to 12- yr old children (n=98) were randomly assigned to use either learning-oriented (self-referenced) achievement goals or performance-oriented (other-referenced) achievement goals during a rule-learning task. Half of the children in e...

The clinical technology developed by cognitive behavioral practitioners has become the foundation for psychological efforts to enhance athletic performance. To provide a backdrop for this sport intervention research, the history of applied sport psychology is briefly noted. Then, the empirical literature which supportes the use of cognitive behavio...

This investigation evaluated the measurement reliability and reactivity of repeated measurements of resting energy expenditure using different methods of data collection. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to either face mask, mouthpiece/nose clip, or ventilated canopy collection systems for 45 min a day over 3 days. Results indicated that ther...

Despite the unequivocal evidence linking smoking and disease, approximately 26% of all Americans still smoke. In this article we briefly review the behavioral and the biologic factors associated with continued smoking as well as the latest strategies, both behavioral and pharmacologic, for the treatment of smoking. These behavioral and biologic fac...

This investigation evaluated the effect of phenylpropanolamine on the weight gain associated with 2 weeks of abstinence from smoking. Subjects were 57 adult female cigarette smokers who were randomly assigned, in a double-blind procedure, to chew gum with phenylpropanolamine or placebo gum, or to chew no gum. After a baseline assessment, subjects w...

This investigation evaluated the impact of smoking cessation and sex on changes in dietary intake, physical activity, and weight gain in young adults who did not intend to maintain their cessation. Subjects were 68 smokers and nonsmokers (30 males, 38 females) who participated in a 3-week study. During the investigation, all subjects' dietary intak...

Mental preparation, or “psych-up” strategies have been assumed to promote physical arousal which subsequently improves certain athletic performances. The present experiment examined the role of arousal changes in the use of psych-up strategies on a physical strength task and a reaction time-decision task for subjects varying in competitive experien...

Carbon monoxide (CO) in expired breath is a common strategy for verifying smoking abstinence. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the comparability of two carbon monoxide (CO) analyzers: the commonly used Ecolyzer Series 2000 analyzer versus the new, highly portable, and less expensive Ecolyzer Model 210. Fifty-eight CO readings were...

The contributions to the present volume attest to the importance and complexity of childhood psycho-pathology. Children’s behavioral maladjustment has broad effects, not only on the child at home, in school, and in the peer group, but on family functioning, and community systems. Accurate assessment and effective treatment of childhood psycho-patho...

Examines whether the smoking–body weight relationship has an impact on smoking behavior and considers whether weight control associated with smoking has an effect on smoking initiation, maintenance, or relapse. Discussion focuses on studies that have used both pharmacologic (nicotine gum) and nonpharmacologic methods to attempt to reduce postcessat...

Summarizes the epidemiological literature on the relationship between smoking and body weight in humans and reviews the literature on possible dietary, physical activity, and metabolic changes following smoking cessation. Methodologies involved in the accurate assessment of these variables are discussed, and suggestions are offered for future resea...

This article provides a comprehensive review of the research on smoking and body weight. The relationships between smoking and body weight are evaluated in 70 cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations. The mechanisms responsible for differences in body weight are discussed, the weight-related issues that promote smoking behavior are reviewed,...

The influence of relative weight on sociometric nominations (liking and disliking) and sociometric ratings by first, third, and fifth graders was assessed. In terms of nominations, first grade overweight males, relative to other males and to overweight females, received fewer liking nominations. On the sociometric ratings, third grade overweight ma...

This experiment examined hypotheses that peer-nominated, mildly depressed children possess problem-solving deficits and evaluate their problem-solving efforts more negatively than nondysphoric children. Thirty dysphoric and 30 nondysphoric children were selected by peer nomination and administered two inclusive disjunction rule-learning problems. D...

This paper briefly reviews the historical and conceptual developments that produced the cognitive-behavioral model for clinical interventions with children. It is suggested that this model should be expanded by including the person variables of emotion and developmental level and by broadening the scope of environmental variables to include the fam...

Twenty-seven preschool 4- and 5-year-olds were matched on a range of assessment measures and assigned to one of three instruction groups: a self-instruction group, a skills training group, and a no-treatment control group. For the first five weekly intervention sessions, treatment subjects were trained on the concepts of same and different in a vis...