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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
Probability and delay discounting of hypothetical sexual outcomes
Steven R Lawyer1, Sonja A Williams, Tereza Prihodova
1Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8112, USA. lawystev@isu.edu
Abstract:
The present study used the discounting procedure to characterize choice behaviors regarding hypothetical sexual outcomes. Eighty-six adult undergraduate students completed computerized delay and probability discounting tasks concerning hypothetical money and hypothetical sexual activity. Consistent with other discounting findings, hyperbolic and hyperbola-like decay models described individual and group median indifference point data well. These findings contribute to a growing literature on the relevance of the discounting procedure to decision-making processes and suggest that the discounting procedure may be useful for understanding the processes that underlie social problem behaviors associated with impulsive sexual decisions.
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