Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT)

The Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) is a CANTAB test of decision-making and risk-taking behaviour outside a learning context. It is specifically designed to minimise demands on learning and working memory.

Task

Participants decide whether a token is hidden behind a red box or a blue box, then bet a proportion of their points on this decision. The odds of winning or losing are made explicit by the ratio of red to blue boxes. Information from one trial does not inform the next, so the task imposes no learning or working memory demands.

Depression Relevance

Decision-making under risk is typically impaired in depression (Clark et al., 2011). CGT offers a clean measure of risky decision-making because:

• Limited demands on learning and working memory processes
• Odds are explicitly presented (not learned)
• Each trial is independent of previous trials

This distinguishes CGT from tasks like one-touch-stockings-cambridge or spatial-working-memory which place heavier demands on planning and memory.

Related Pages

cantab | nonverbal-cognitive-tasks | preclinical-drug-screening