A novel method to assess delay discounting indicates greater ambivalence for delayed rewards

Inspired by Warren K. Bickel, who introduced numerous procedural and conceptual innovations to the study of delay discounting, the present study seeks to further establish the validity of a delay discounting task that is able to assess degree of preference when making a choice. We examine the construct of ambivalence, which may provide methodological and conceptual advancements in the study of delay discounting. In a sample of 105 participants, individuals used a 100-point scale to indicate not only preference between immediate and delayed rewards but also the degree of that preference. Using this approach, both the magnitude effect and the date/delay effect were replicated, further establishing the validity of the task. Following conversion of the degree of preference to an ambivalence score, we examined associations between rate of delay discounting and between-individual levels of ambivalence, finding that lower rates of delay discounting were associated with greater ambivalence. We also compared within-individual ambivalence when the immediate reward versus the delayed reward was preferred, finding greater ambivalence was observed when the delayed reward was preferred. We speculate that the construct of ambivalence may offer some new opportunities in the conceptual understanding of delay discounting and the application of this work to health-relevant behaviors.