Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2025
07:47
Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
Published on: January 9, 2016
15.4K
The perceived controllability of negatively-valenced episodic future thinking modulates delay discounting
Cong Fan1,2, Xiwen Chen1,2, Jiayi Sun1,2
1Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
Cognition & Emotion
|July 2, 2024
Summary
Negative uncontrollable episodic future thinking (EFT) reduces delay discounting (DD) for larger rewards over longer delays. This finding offers insights for optimizing EFT to improve financial and health decisions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Intertemporal decision-making is crucial for economic and health outcomes.
- Delay discounting (DD) describes the tendency to prefer immediate rewards over larger, delayed ones.
- Episodic future thinking (EFT) influences DD, but the impact of negative EFT remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of perceived controllability of negative episodic future thinking (EFT) on delay discounting (DD).
- To examine how manipulated EFT conditions (baseline, neutral, negative-controllable, negative-uncontrollable) affect DD across various delayed times and reward magnitudes.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of EFT conditions: baseline, neutral, negative-controllable, and negative-uncontrollable.
- Participants made choices involving different delayed times (1 week to 3 years) and reward magnitudes (small, large).
- Analysis of choice behavior to quantify delay discounting under each EFT condition.
Main Results:
- Negative-uncontrollable EFT significantly reduced delay discounting (DD) compared to negative-controllable EFT.
- This reduction in DD was most pronounced for large-magnitude rewards and longer delayed times (specifically 6 months).
- Negative-uncontrollable EFT appears to be an effective strategy for promoting delayed gratification.
Conclusions:
- Perceived controllability moderates the effect of negative episodic future thinking (EFT) on delay discounting (DD).
- Negative-uncontrollable EFT can mitigate the preference for immediate rewards, especially for significant future gains.
- Findings provide strategies for optimizing EFT to enhance long-term financial and health-related decision-making.
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