Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
07:47
Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
The date-delay framing effect in temporal discounting depends on substance abuse
1University of Luxembourg, Route de Diekirch, 7201 Walfderdange, Luxembourg. florian.klapproth@uni.lu
Behavioural Processes
|June 20, 2012
Summary
Individuals with substance use disorders discount future rewards more inconsistently than controls. Presenting rewards with specific dates, rather than time intervals, reduced this discounting behavior in both groups.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience of addiction
- Behavioral economics
Background:
- Substance use disorders are associated with altered decision-making processes, particularly concerning delayed rewards.
- Understanding temporal discounting is crucial for developing effective addiction treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and controls discount future rewards.
- To examine the effect of time representation (dates vs. temporal intervals) on delay discounting in SUDs and controls.
Main Methods:
- A delay-discounting task was administered to 30 individuals with SUDs and 30 non-addicted controls.
- Participants made choices between immediate and delayed rewards, with time presented as either specific dates or intervals.
Main Results:
- Reward size significantly influenced discounting in both groups; smaller rewards led to higher discount rates.
- Participants discounted future rewards less when delivery time was presented as a date compared to a temporal interval.
- Individuals with SUDs exhibited more variable discount rates based on time presentation than controls.
Conclusions:
- Time representation impacts delay discounting, with dates reducing the effect compared to intervals.
- Individuals with substance use disorders show greater variability in temporal discounting based on how time is presented, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.
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