Victims' Time Discounting 2.5 Years after the Wenchuan Earthquake: An ERP Study

Abstract

BackgroundTime discounting refers to the fact that the subjective value of a reward decreases as the delay until its occurrence increases. The present study investigated how time discounting has been affected in survivors of the magnitude-8.0 Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in China in 2008.MethodologyNineteen earthquake survivors and 22 controls, all school teachers, participated in the study. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) for time discounting tasks involving gains and losses were acquired in both the victims and controls.FindingsThe behavioral data replicated our previous findings that delayed gains were discounted more steeply after a disaster. ERP results revealed that the P200 and P300 amplitudes were increased in earthquake survivors. There was a significant group (earthquake vs. non- earthquake) × task (gain vs. loss) interaction for the N300 amplitude, with a marginally significantly reduced N300 for gain tasks in the experimental group, which may suggest a deficiency in inhibitory control for gains among victims.ConclusionsThe results suggest that post-disaster decisions might involve more emotional (System 1) and less rational thinking (System 2) in terms of a dual-process model of decision making. The implications for post-disaster intervention and management are also discussed.

Cross-country relationships between life expectancy, intertemporal choice and age at first birth

“…The results dovetail with findings at the individual level, which suggest that people whose experiences seem indicative of a limited life expectancy tend to discount future rewards more steeply (e.g. Lahav, Benzion, & Shavit, 2011;Li et al, 2012;Pepper & Nettle, 2013). However, while these similar findings at the individual level are suggestive of the possibility that people might adjust their intertemporal choice to accord with local mortality rates, the current results also reveal life expectancy itself to be an important ecological predictor of intertemporal choice on aggregate.…”

“…Various lines of evidence support this proposition at the individual psychological level, including findings that exposure to natural disasters, violence or mortality cues is associated with a preference for immediate rewards over delayed ones (Lahav, Benzion, & Shavit, 2011;Li et al, 2012;Pepper & Nettle, 2013;Ramos, Victor, Seidl-de-Moura, & Daly, 2013). Thus far, the evidence on this front comes from between-or within-participant analyses within the same country (e.g.…”

Perceived extrinsic mortality risk and reported effort in looking after health: Testing a behavioural ecological prediction

“…Exposure to violence has been found to be associated with future discounting (Ramos, Victor, Seidl-de-Moura, & Daly, 2013) and earthquake survivors have been found to discount future rewards more steeply than controls (Li et al, 2012). This is important to note, because there is a large body of literature linking time perspective and related concepts, such as delay discounting and impulsivity, to health behaviour (Adams, 2009;Adams & Nettle, 2009;Beenstock, Adams, & White, 2011;White et al, 2009).…”

The nature and dynamics of world religions: a life-history approach

“…For instance, experiences of close bereavement are associated with steeper financial future discounting and earlier reproduction [53]. Similarly, earthquake survivors discount future rewards more steeply than control respondents [79]. In longitudinal studies, negative life events in early childhood also predict decreased self-control over time [80], and studies of adopted orphans show that early life adversity is associated with significant reductions in delay of gratification and inhibitory control, even several years after adoption [81,82].…”