Cognitive Predictors of Delay Discounting in Monetary Choices

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in the day-to-day behaviours of populations globally, especially in areas where social distancing rules have been mandated. Understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying (un)successful behaviour change around social distancing is crucial to inform public health policy for both the current and future crises.In this study, we utilise tasks probing delay discounting (the preference for immediate versus delayed rewards) and patch foraging (evaluating the trade-off between exploiting a known resource and exploring an unknown one) to investigate cognitive predictors of social distancing and mental health symptoms. Participants (N=442) were recruited from a large UK cohort (N=2025) nationally representative in age, gender and income.Greater sensitivity to reward magnitude during delay discounting predicted lower adherence to social distancing measures and higher levels of mood and anxiety symptoms. In addition, under-valuing recently sampled information during foraging separately predicted greater violation of social distancing. Analyses examining cognitive factors underpinning social distancing behaviour across two time points (early and late phases of the pandemic) additionally revealed that greater sensitivity to magnitude of rewards on offer during delay discounting predicted a greater decline in psychological inclination to maintain social distancing. Moreover, under-valuing recent information during foraging separately predicted less motivation to engage in social distancing during the established phase of the pandemic. The findings suggest that those who typically regulate their mood through behaviours that bring about immediate reward are also those who struggle to maintain social distancing. Further, those who adapt more quickly to new information showed better ability to change their behaviour in response to public health measures. These findings highlight the need for public health initiatives that bolster sustained confidence in planning around social distancing by emphasising the immediate rewards to self as well as longer term benefits.

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Cognitive predictors of vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors in a population representative sample

10.1101/2022.01.02.22268629 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Hudson ◽

Peter A Hall ◽

Sara Hitchman ◽

Gang Meng ◽

Geoffrey T Fong

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Hand Hygiene ◽

Delay Discounting ◽

Future Orientation ◽

National Sample ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Temporal Orientation ◽

Cognitive Predictors ◽

High Consistency ◽

Executive Function Deficits

With the continued threat of COVID-19, predictors of vaccination hesitancy and mitigation behaviors are critical to identify. Prior studies have found that cognitive factors are associated with some COVID-19 mitigation behaviors, but few studies employ representative samples and to our knowledge no prior studies have examined cognitive predictors of vaccine hesitancy. The purpose of the present study, conducted among a large national sample of Canadian adults, was to examine associations between cognitive variables (executive function, delay discounting, and temporal orientation) and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (vaccination, mask wearing, social distancing, and hand hygiene). Findings revealed that individuals with few executive function deficits, limited delay discounting and who adopted a generally future-orientation mindset were more likely to be double-vaccinated and to report performing COVID-19 mitigation behaviors with high consistency. The most reliable findings were for delay discounting and future orientation, with executive function deficits predicting mask wearing and hand hygiene behaviors but not distancing and vaccination. These findings identify candidate mediators and moderators for health communication messages targeting COVID-19 mitigation behaviors and vaccine hesitancy.

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Delay discounting and under-valuing of recent information predict poorer adherence to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-98772-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alex Lloyd ◽

Ryan McKay ◽

Todd K. Hartman ◽

Benjamin T. Vincent ◽

Jamie Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Delay Discounting ◽

Computational Models ◽

Global Changes ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Cognitive Predictors ◽

Health Measures ◽

New Information ◽

The Uk

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented global changes in individual and collective behaviour. To reduce the spread of the virus, public health bodies have promoted social distancing measures while attempting to mitigate their mental health consequences. The current study aimed to identify cognitive predictors of social distancing adherence and mental health symptoms, using computational models derived from delay discounting (the preference for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards) and patch foraging (the ability to trade-off between exploiting a known resource and exploring an unknown one). In a representative sample of the UK population (N = 442), we find that steeper delay discounting predicted poorer adherence to social distancing measures and greater sensitivity to reward magnitude during delay discounting predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, under-valuing recently sampled information during foraging independently predicted greater violation of lockdown guidance. Our results suggest that those who show greater discounting of delayed rewards struggle to maintain social distancing. Further, those who adapt faster to new information are better equipped to change their behaviour in response to public health measures. These findings can inform interventions that seek to increase compliance with social distancing measures whilst minimising negative repercussions for mental health.

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Cognitive predictors of young children's readiness for powered mobility

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology ◽

10.1017/s0012162299001371 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 41 (10) ◽

pp. 665-670 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Donita Tefft ◽

Paula Guerette ◽

Jan Furumasu

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Predictors

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Cognitive Reflection Effects on Time Discounting

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000254 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 99-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Michał Białek ◽

Przemysław Sawicki

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Individual Difference ◽

Delay Discounting ◽

Reference Point ◽

Reference Points ◽

Cognitive Reflection Test ◽

Process Information ◽

Time Discounting ◽

Cognitive Reflection ◽

The Way

Abstract. In this work, we investigated individual differences in cognitive reflection effects on delay discounting – a preference for smaller sooner over larger later payoff. People are claimed to prefer more these alternatives they considered first – so-called reference point – over the alternatives they considered later. Cognitive reflection affects the way individuals process information, with less reflective individuals relying predominantly on the first information they consider, thus, being more susceptible to reference points as compared to more reflective individuals. In Experiment 1, we confirmed that individuals who scored high on the Cognitive Reflection Test discount less strongly than less reflective individuals, but we also show that such individuals are less susceptible to imposed reference points. Experiment 2 replicated these findings additionally providing evidence that cognitive reflection predicts discounting strength and (in)dependency to reference points over and above individual difference in numeracy.

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Delay Discounting in Impulsive Behavior

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000360 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 312-321 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Diana Moreira ◽

Fernando Barbosa

Keyword(s):

Delay Discounting ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Cochrane Collaboration ◽

Initial Assessment ◽

Impulsive Behavior ◽

Manual Search ◽

Study Results ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Future

Abstract. Delay discounting (DD) is the process of devaluing results that happen in the future. With this review, we intend to identify specificities in the processes of DD in impulsive behavior. Studies were retrieved from multiple literature databases, through rigorous criteria (we included systematic reviews and empirical studies with adult human subjects), following the procedures of the Cochrane Collaboration initiative. Of the 174 documents obtained, 19 were considered eligible for inclusion and were retained for in-depth analysis. In addition, 13 studies from the manual search were included. Thus, a total of 32 studies were selected for review. The objectives/hypotheses, results, and the main conclusion(s) were extracted from each study. Results show that people with pronounced traits of impulsivity discount rewards more markedly, that is, they prefer immediate rewards, though of less value, or postponed losses, even though they worsen in the future. Taken together, the existing data suggest the importance of inserting DD as a tool for initial assessment in conjunction with measures of addiction and stress level, as well as the consideration of new therapies.

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