What is Frost and Hartl′s model, or the Cambridge Gambling Task?

            The Cambridge Gambling Task is a model that is developed for the purpose of assessing decision-making as well as risk-taking behaviors outside the learning context. In the process of using this model, pertinent information is ultimately presented to an individual’s “up-front”. This implies that there is no need of learning or retrieving such information through consecutive trials. On the other hand, what this implies is the fact that during the exercise, it is acknowledged that increased brain activation is one of the things that is found on the reward system as well as in the regions that enhances impulse control decision-making. During the losing stage, it is also acknowledged that brain activation is ultimately increased in regions that foster risk aversion as well as the management of uncertainties.

            In the process of using this model, it is clear that pathological gambling is one of the disorders that are taken into consideration. The reason for that is because it is one of the diseases that are always distinguished by recurring patterns of uncontrollable gambling behaviors which are linked with various psychosocial burdens. On the other hand, regardless of the increasing rate of co-morbidity, the established significance of the Cambridge Gambling Task takes into account reward based decision making. It is, therefore, important to understand the relationship that exists between risk taking behaviors and decision-making in an individual.

What functions to the mesial frontal, right polar or anterior cingulate do?

            The following are some of the main functions of the anterior congulate

1. a) Conflict monitoring and error detection – In conflict monitoring and error detection, anterior cingulate, it is realized that more competitive stimuli is the one that enhance its activation. The end result of this is that it makes an individual to respond effectively to the surrounding environment.
2. b) Social evaluation– according to research, the activities that transpires within this region is the ones that enhance error detection as well as other social processes. For instance, when an individual is exposed to recurring social evaluation tasks, he or she will have exhibited repetitive activation. It is this activities that have the ability of reflecting enhanced rumination regarding social evaluation and arousals that come as a result of repetitive social evaluation.
3. c) Reward based learning – In the process of detecting and monitoring errors, the anterior cingulate also aid in evaluating errors as well as suggesting the suitable action that ought to be implemented by the motor system. The reward that a person receives is the one that is also realized to have the ability of affecting its evaluation capabilities.
4. d) Controlling individual consciousness – the activities that the anterior cingulate handles are perceived to have the ability of correlating with conscious experience. For instance, it has been acknowledged that the activation of this region ultimately relies on the emotions of an individual, especially women. Therefore, efficient emotional awareness in an individual is an attribute that is linked with the recognition of the existing emotional targets or cues which in return reflects its activation.
5. e) Pain regulation – the anterior cingulate involves in registering physical pain which is always increased by signal intensity. Due to the fact that it is associated with controlling pain, it is also involved in registering the emotional reactions and the perception of the pain a person migh be experiencing.