Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
07:47
Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
Prefrontal coding of temporally discounted values during intertemporal choice
Soyoun Kim1, Jaewon Hwang, Daeyeol Lee
1Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
Neuron
|July 11, 2008
Summary
Monkeys making choices about rewards consider the time delay. Neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex track reward value over time, influencing decisions in intertemporal choice tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Decision Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Decisions involving rewards often face a trade-off between immediate gratification and larger, delayed outcomes.
- The value of a future reward typically decreases as the delay to its receipt increases (temporal discounting).
- Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying intertemporal choice is crucial for explaining decision-making under delayed reward.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how monkeys make choices when faced with immediate versus delayed rewards.
- To explore the neural basis of real-time computation of temporally discounted reward values in the brain.
- To determine if prefrontal cortex activity correlates with the valuation of delayed rewards.
Main Methods:
- An intertemporal choice task was designed where monkeys chose between options with varying rewards and delays.
- Neural activity was recorded from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the task.
- The relationship between neuronal firing rates and discounted reward values was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Monkeys' choices reflected a preference for options with higher temporally discounted values.
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex neurons were found to encode the discounted value of expected rewards.
- Neuronal activity increased with discounted reward values for targets presented in specific spatial locations.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that the brain computes temporally discounted values to guide choices involving delayed rewards.
- Prefrontal cortex activity plays a significant role in the real-time valuation process during intertemporal decision-making.
- This neural computation in the prefrontal cortex may directly influence behavioral choices in scenarios with delayed gratification.
Related Concept Videos
01:09Decision Making: P-value Method
The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can have a...
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can have a...
01:08Timing and Consequences on Behavior
In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...
01:37Reason and Intuition
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
01:20Decision Making
Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
01:14Decision Making: Traditional Method
The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
03:26Framing Effects
Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in different ways based on the...