Question-based assessments of delay discounting: do respondents spontaneously incorporate uncertainty into their valuations for delayed rewards?

Addictive Behaviors
Michele Patak, Brady Reynolds

Abstract

This research was designed to determine if, and to what extent, participants incorporate uncertainty into their valuations for delayed rewards when completing measures of delay discounting, even though uncertainty is not specified in the delay-discounting questions. Twenty-four adolescent participants completed a question-based measure of delay discounting and immediately following answered questions about perceived certainties of receiving the delayed rewards. Results showed that respondents rated the delayed rewards as increasingly uncertain with longer delays. Also, ratings of uncertainty were correlated with rate of delay discounting (r=0.55). These findings suggest participants automatically evaluate delayed rewards as uncertain when using this assessment procedure. The current finding may hold important implications for future addiction research in interpreting why addicted persons often discount more by delay than non-addicted controls, i.e., delay to reward or uncertainty about delayed rewards?

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Citations

Oct 20, 2009·Psychopharmacology·Valerie VoonMark Hallett
Dec 4, 2012·Behavioural Processes·Marianna Blackburn, Wael El-Deredy
Sep 10, 2010·Addictive Behaviors·Anne C Black, Marc I Rosen
Mar 2, 2016·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Frances L WangKevin King
Jun 5, 2007·Drug and Alcohol Dependence·Brady ReynoldsPalak Shroff
Dec 20, 2014·Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior·William Brady DeHart, Amy L Odum
May 1, 2012·Behavioural Processes·Ana A Baumann, Amy L Odum
Jul 22, 2016·PloS One·William B DeHartAmy L Odum
Jun 21, 2019·Scientific Reports·Wojciech Białaszek, Przemysław Marcowski
Sep 7, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Yuanyuan J Li, Yuanyuan Liu
Sep 1, 2013·Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science·Anouk ScheresGabry W Mies

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