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Related Concept Videos

Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing 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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
07:47

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

A mechanism for reducing delay discounting by altering temporal attention.

Peter T Radu1, Richard Yi, Warren K Bickel

  • 1Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|November 16, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Reframing delayed rewards using an explicit-zero approach decreases discounting. This method works by increasing attention to future rewards, not by making them seem like an improving sequence.

Keywords:
delay discountinghidden-zero effecthumansprimingreward sequencestemporal attention

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 27, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral economics
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Delayed rewards are discounted compared to immediate ones.
  • Higher discounting correlates with behavioral problems and clinical disorders.
  • Interventions to reduce discounting are crucial for addressing these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the mechanisms behind the effectiveness of explicit-zero reframing.
  • Differentiate between the improving sequence and temporal attention hypotheses.
  • Understand how framing influences intertemporal preferences and present bias.

Main Methods:

  • Four experiments were conducted to test two proposed mechanisms.
  • Participants made intertemporal choices under different framing conditions.
  • Behavioral data were analyzed to distinguish between hypothesized mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Explicit-zero reframing significantly decreases discount rates for delayed rewards.
  • Results provide stronger support for the temporal attention hypothesis over the improving sequence hypothesis.
  • Framing influences intertemporal preferences by modulating attention to future rewards.

Conclusions:

  • Temporal attention is a key mechanism explaining how explicit-zero reframing reduces discounting.
  • Framing affects intertemporal choices by altering attention allocation towards delayed rewards.
  • This research proposes a model of temporal attention influencing present bias and decision-making.