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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

How many impulsivities? A discounting perspective.

Leonard Green1, Joel Myerson

  • 1Washington University, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 1125, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. LGreen@wustl.edu

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|January 25, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Individuals discount delayed and uncertain rewards differently, suggesting multiple impulsivity traits, not a single one. This challenges the traditional view that steep discounting reflects impulsivity across all scenarios.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral economics
  • Decision science
  • Psychology

Background:

  • People tend to devalue future outcomes, a phenomenon known as discounting.
  • Discounting behavior is often linked to impulsivity, with steeper discounting implying greater impulsivity.
  • Both delayed and probabilistic outcomes are subject to discounting, often modeled by a hyperboloid function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether discounting of delayed outcomes and probabilistic outcomes reflect a single impulsivity trait.
  • To explore the potential for multiple, distinct impulsivity traits influencing decision-making.
  • To challenge the conventional view of impulsivity in discounting research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on delay and probability discounting.
  • Analysis of experimental manipulations affecting discounting behavior.
  • Examination of correlational studies on discounting of various reward types (money, health, real, hypothetical).

Main Results:

  • Discounting of delayed and probabilistic outcomes involves different underlying processes.
  • Manipulations differentially impact delay and probability discounting.
  • Discounting rates for delayed money and health outcomes are uncorrelated.
  • Discounting rates for real and hypothetical rewards are also uncorrelated.

Conclusions:

  • The findings suggest that impulsivity is not a monolithic trait but comprises multiple distinct facets.
  • Different types of discounting (delay vs. probability) may be associated with separate impulsivity traits.
  • A more nuanced understanding of impulsivity is needed to accurately interpret discounting behavior in decision-making research.