Association for Behavior Analysis International

The purpose of the current experiments was to evaluate differences between self-control behaviors under the control of hypothetical and real rewards as well as using a modified discounting procedure that more closely resembles the natural environment than more commonly used procedures. This modified procedure required participants to complete a task in order to earn monetary rewards rather than simply presenting a choice between two alternatives. Each participant was presented with a series of choices between completing two different algebra problems, each associated with a different monetary reward. In Experiment 1, between-subject comparisons used constant monetary rewards. In Experiment 2, between- and within-subject comparisons were made using varied monetary rewards. Subjects were informed of the reward they could earn before being instructed to complete the assessment. The data show a difference in responding by the hypothetical and real rewards groups. Participants earning real rewards were more likely to choose the high effort problem than participants earning hypothetical rewards. Hypothetical rewards are extensively used in lieu of real rewards in research on delay discounting under the assumption that they produce comparable behavior. The results of the current studies, however, suggest caution when using hypothetical rewards.

The expression that "the future is uncertain", although seemingly obvious, poses an intriguing research question. If the future is indeed uncertain, then how much uncertainty is associated with time? We present a series of experiments performed on undergraduate students. This research was designed to determine: (1) whether there is an amount-dependent relation of delay and probability discounting?; (2) the impact of monetary amount on the quantity of risk inherent in delay, i.e. the uncertainty spontaneously incorporated in delay of gains and losses. To test our hypotheses, we used a traditional discounting paradigm, which employed a titration choice procedure. Additionally, participants answered subjective probability questionnaire across different amounts of gains and losses. We found that the degree of correlation between delay and probability discounting might be amount dependent: positive for small amounts and non-significant for large amounts. Based on this observation, we conducted further experiments demonstrating that the degree of risk inherent in delay is amount-dependent--but only in the domain of gains and not losses. We therefore propose that, at least to some degree, the magnitude effect can be explained by the uncertainty inherent in the delay of future outcomes.

Delay discounting—devaluation of a commodity as a result of a delay—has provided insight into a range of behavioral problems, from drug addiction to obesity. Individuals discount consumable commodities (e.g., sex, drugs, food) at higher rates than money. Discounting of sexual activity is related to sexual risk behaviors, such as inconsistent condom use; most studies, however, have examined sexual discounting when choices entail activity with the same partner. In a series of studies, college students completed a sexual partners preference assessment and a novel sexual partners discounting task based on the participant's partner rankings. Choices in the discounting task were presented between sex with a less-preferred but immediate partner or sex with the most-preferred but delayed partner across a range of delays. Study one examined discounting of sexual partners, finding orderly discounting across a range of delays and differences based on lifetime number of sexual partners. Study two examined how condom availability impacted sexual partners discounting rate. Study three examined discounting rate and its association with sexual risk behaviors, alcohol use, and sexual history. All findings were statistically significant. Together, these studies demonstrate the potential of the sexual partners discounting task for exploring sexual risk behavior.