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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

Gamification and motivation: Impact on delay discounting performance.

Sophie Harvey¹, Greg Jensen², Kristen G Anderson²

¹Digital Humanities, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

|April 16, 2024

Summary

Gamification increases enjoyment of delay discounting tasks without altering results. Higher task enjoyment correlates with faster discounting, suggesting low motivation may bias impulsivity assessments.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Economics
Psychology

Background:

Delay discounting, a measure of impulsivity, relies on engaged participants for accurate assessment.
Traditional discounting tasks may lack engagement, potentially biasing results due to participant disinterest.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if gamification enhances participant motivation and enjoyment in delay discounting tasks.
To determine if increased task engagement affects delay discounting rates.

Main Methods:

Two experiments were conducted, introducing varying levels of gamification to delay discounting tasks.
Experiment 1 compared three gamification levels; Experiment 2 used a gamified versus a non-gamified condition.

Main Results:

Participants reported higher enjoyment with more gamified task versions.
No significant differences in discounting rates were observed between most groups.
Task enjoyment and interest positively correlated with faster delay discounting.

Conclusions:

Gamification can improve the participant experience in delay discounting studies without compromising data validity.
Low participant motivation may lead to underestimations of impulsivity, highlighting the importance of engagement.