No abstract

This study compared attribute- and alternative-wise mechanisms in intertemporal choice. The trade-off (Scholten, Read, & Sanborn, 2014) and the proportional difference models (González-Vallejo, 2002) were used to represent the attribute-wise mechanism. A stochastic version of the hyperbolic model based on Rachlin (2006) was adopted to represent the alternative-wise mechanism. Three experiments were performed. In Experiment 1, a typical intertemporal indifference choice task with a fixed delayed amount was used. In Experiment 2, a general choice task with nonimmediate delays and varied attribute values was employed. The magnitude effect was embedded in this experiment. In Experiment 3, the models were tested with option sets designed to induce subadditive and superadditive choice patterns (Scholten & Read, 2006, 2010). In Experiment 1, the hyperbolic model performed as well as the other models. In Experiments 2 and 3, the attribute-wise models outperformed the alternative-wise model in terms of fit, prediction, and handling of nonadditive patterns. The results support conclusions from recent studies (Dai & Busemeyer, 2014; Scholten et al., 2014), which suggest that attribute-wise mechanisms may be more suitable for describing intertemporal choices. Furthermore, the predictive performance was similar between the trade-off and the proportional difference (PD) models though the PD model is simpler.

In the United States, while the number of coronavirus case has kept increasing, the practice of social distancing and mask-wearing have been controversial and even politicized. The present study aimed to examine the role of psychological traits and political orientation in social distancing compliance and attitude toward mask-wearing. A sample of 233 U.S. adult residents were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed scales of social distancing compliance, attitude toward mask-wearing, need for cognition, self-control, risk preference, and political orientation. For each participant, epidemiological information (seven-day positive rate and the number of cases per 100,000) was obtained based on the state she/he resided in. As a result, there was no significant relationship between the epidemiological information and social distancing compliance or attitude toward mask-wearing. Instead, those who had a higher level of need for cognition, self-control, or risk averse were more positive on social distancing compliance and mask-wearing. Additionally, the study found political orientation was a significant factor, with a more liberal tendency being associated with more positive on social distancing compliance and mask-wearing. For mask-wearing, an interaction was also found between need for cognition and political orientation such that the effect of need for cognition was stronger in the more liberal participants than in the more conservative participants. Collectively, the study revealed the psychological and political roots of social distancing and mask-wearing compliance. Policy implications are discussed.

Impulsive behavior in heroin-dependent individuals and matched smokers was studied within the framework of temporal discounting. Two well-known effects were examined: the sign and magnitude effects (Kirby, 1997). The study also investigated the relationship between cognitive impulsivity and inhibitory control as measured by a Go/No-go task. Fifty-six heroin-dependent patients in the postmethadone treatment stage and an equal number of matched daily smokers participated in the study. The heroin-dependent patients showed higher discount rates in both gain and loss conditions. They also showed no sign effect by demonstrating similar discount rates in gains and losses. Heroin-dependent patients also exhibited a magnitude effect, which was weaker than that observed in smokers. Differential relationships between impulsivity and inhibitory control were found in the two groups. For smokers, decision-making and inhibitory control behaviors pertained to different psychological processes, whereas for heroin-dependent patients, the two behaviors were partially related. Finally, a significant correlation between length of heroin use and temporal discounting with small magnitude was found. The present study advances our understanding of the specific behavioral impulsive patterns in heroin-dependent individuals.

Two experiments were conducted to examine decision process in intertemporal choice with spatial and temporal action dynamic measures generated from cursor movement. The effects of the context valence (gain and loss) and magnitude of the payoffs (small and large) were investigated. Other factors examined were differences between decisions made at versus away from the indifference point and response variability dependent on what was selected (delayed versus non‐delayed/less‐delayed payoff). Using principal components analysis, decision process is described with three orthogonal components. General decision difficulty is encompassed by two components: (1) Conflict, depicted by Idle time and deviations from a direct choice path, and (2) decision uncertainty or Wavering, described by left‐right directional flips. A general Locomotion factor was also present. In Experiment 1, Conflict was best at capturing the gain/loss and magnitude context effects. Greater Conflict was observed in the loss context and the small magnitude condition. When choices were closer to the indifference point, Wavering was most salient. In Experiment 2, when selecting larger, delayed payoffs, both Conflict and Wavering increased suggesting that controlling the temptation of selecting the sooner, smaller reward entails effort. By analyzing trajectories, the study advances knowledge of the construct validity of different action dynamic measures and supports the distinction of decision uncertainty and decision conflict. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.