Open AccessStudying the relation between temporal reward discounting tasks used in populations with ADHD: A factor analysis
Author(s) -
Scheres Anouk,
Sumiya Motofumi,
Thoeny Allison Lee
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.309
Subject(s) - temporal discounting , discounting , psychology , task (project management) , delay discounting , cognitive psychology , impulsivity , construct (python library) , intertemporal choice , correlation , developmental psychology , econometrics , computer science , mathematics , economics , management , finance , programming language , geometry
Background : This study aimed at investigating the relationship between tasks that have been used in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to measure choices between smaller immediate and larger delayed rewards: real and hypothetical temporal discounting tasks, and single‐choice paradigms. Methods : Participants were 55 undergraduate psychology students. Tasks included a real and hypothetical version of a temporal discounting (TD) task with choices between a large reward (10 cents) after delays up to 60 seconds, and smaller immediate rewards (2–8 cents); two versions of a hypothetical temporal discounting task with choices between a large reward ($100) after delays up to 120 months, and smaller immediate rewards ($1–$95); a Choice Delay Task with choices between one point now and two points after 30 seconds (one point is worth five cents). Results : Correlation analyses showed that the real and the hypothetical TD tasks with 10 cents were very strongly associated. However, the hypothetical TD tasks with $100 did not correlate with either the real or the hypothetical TD task with 10 cents. Principal component analysis extracted two components: one for small amounts and short delays, and a second one for large rewards and long delays. Conclusions : Temporal reward discounting is not a uniform construct. Functional brain imaging research could shed more light on unique brain activation patterns associated with different forms of temporal reward discounting. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.