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Qu W, Yang Y, Zhou M, Fan W. Impact of self-control and time perception on intertemporal choices in gain and loss situations. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1324146. [PMID: 38406261 PMCID: PMC10884325 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1324146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals frequently encounter dilemmas in which they must choose between smaller, immediate gains and larger, delayed rewards; this phenomenon is known as intertemporal choice. The present study analyzed the interplay of trait and state self-control and time perception tendencies (time overestimation vs. time underestimation) and how it influences the rates of selecting immediate options in both gain and loss situations by conducting an intertemporal choice task. Experiment 1 was used to explore the impact of trait self-control and time perception on intertemporal choices within gain and loss situations. In Experiment 2, the e-crossing task was used to induce self-control resource depletion in participants and to investigate the impact of self-control resources and time perception on intertemporal choices in gain and loss situations. The results indicate that (1) compared with the high-self-control group, the low-self-control group exhibited a greater tendency to choose immediate options. Additionally, the high time estimation group was more likely to opt for immediate choices than the low time estimation group was. Furthermore, participants were more likely to select immediate options in the loss situation than in the gain situation. (2) In the gain situation, the high time estimation group was more likely to choose immediate options than was the low time estimation group. However, in the loss situation, the difference between the two groups was nonsignificant. (3) Time perception and gain-loss situations exerted a moderating mediating effect on the impact of self-control resources on intertemporal choices. These findings shed light on the influence of both self-control abilities and self-control resources on intertemporal choices. They provide valuable insights into intertemporal decision behaviors across diverse contexts and indicate the need for rational analysis based on one's current state to mitigate cognitive biases to ensure individuals can maximize benefits in their daily lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiguo Qu
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Ying Yang
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Mengjie Zhou
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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Chuang HL, Wang YF. Understanding the Associations Among Perceived Stress, Self-Control Skills, and Overeating in Asian Adolescents. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2022; 43:e347-e355. [PMID: 35239607 DOI: 10.1097/dbp.0000000000001050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Built on Rosenbaum's self-control theory, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of self-control skills in the relationship between perceived stress and overeating patterns among adolescents from an Asia-Pacific region. METHODS A cross-sectional study was used with a school-based, nonclinical sample of 195 adolescents. Participants completed self-report measures assessing study variables and demographic information such as body mass index (BMI) status for adolescents and their parents. Mediation analyses were conducted with Hayes' PROCESS macro modeling tool to assess self-control skills as the mediator of the relationships between perceived stress and each overeating pattern based on the regression-based bootstrapping method, adjusting for potential covariates. RESULTS The prevalence of overweight and obesity was approximately 18% in the current sample of adolescents. While controlling for age, sex, and standardized BMI, self-control skills mediated the effects of stress on emotional and external eating, but not on restrained eating; in addition, self-control skills partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and an overall overeating tendency. CONCLUSION Consistent with Rosenbaum's self-control theory, self-control skills were found to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and emotional and external eating. This study highlights the importance of prevention treatments developed to impart adolescents with self-control skills, decrease their perceived stress, and consequently, reduce their overeating patterns during this intense developmental period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Ling Chuang
- School of Nursing, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Fen Wang
- College of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, OH
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Wiesner CD, Meyer J, Lindner C. Detours increase local knowledge-Exploring the hidden benefits of self-control failure. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257717. [PMID: 34597326 PMCID: PMC8486128 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-control enables people to override momentary thoughts, emotions, or impulses in order to pursue long-term goals. Good self-control is a predictor for health, success, and subjective well-being, as bad self-control is for the opposite. Therefore, the question arises why evolution has not endowed us with perfect self-control. In this article, we draw some attention to the hidden benefits of self-control failure and present a new experimental paradigm that captures both costs and benefits of self-control failure. In an experiment, participants worked on three consecutive tasks: 1) In a transcription task, we manipulated how much effortful self-control two groups of participants had to exert. 2) In a number-comparison task, participants of both groups were asked to compare numbers and ignore distracting neutral versus reward-related pictures. 3) After a pause for recreation, participants were confronted with an unannounced recognition task measuring whether they had incidentally encoded the distracting pictures during the previous number-comparison task. The results showed that participants who exerted a high amount of effortful self-control during the first task shifted their priorities and attention toward the distractors during the second self-control demanding task: The cost of self-control failure was reflected in worse performance in the number-comparison task. Moreover, the group which had exerted a high amount of self-control during the first task and showed self-control failure during the second task was better in the unannounced third task. The benefit of self-control failure during number comparison was reflected in better performance during the recognition task. However, costs and benefits were not specific for reward-related distractors but also occurred with neutral pictures. We propose that the hidden benefit of self-control failure lies in the exploration of distractors present during goal pursuit, i.e. the collection of information about the environment and the potential discovery of new sources of reward. Detours increase local knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Dirk Wiesner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jennifer Meyer
- Leibniz-Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Lindner
- Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Hamburg (UHH), Hamburg, Germany
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Dang J, Liu X, Xiao S, Mao L, Chan KT, Li C, Lin M, Liu Z, Luo Y, Sun Y, Wu YH, Schiöth HB. The Beauty of the Zero: Replications and Extensions of the Hidden-Zero Effect in Delay Discounting Tasks. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/1948550620929454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Unlike the presentation format in a typical delay discounting task (e.g., “Would you prefer [A] US$4.3 today OR [B] US$7.5 in 22 days?”), Magen et al. inserted a zero to each alternative (e.g., “Would you prefer [A] US$4.3 today and US$0 in 22 days OR [B] US$0 today and US$7.5 in 22 days?”) and found this manipulation effectively reduced delay discounting ( d = .84), which was referred to as the hidden-zero effect. Study 1 was a direct replication of this effect. In Study 2, we tested whether the explicit-zero format could buffer against the detrimental effect of exposure to sexy cues on delay discounting. In Study 3, we explored the mechanism underlying the hidden-zero effect. Taken together, the hidden-zero effect was consistently found across all studies ( N = 2,440) and our internal meta-analysis yielded a medium to large effect size ( d = .52).
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhua Dang
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Xiaoping Liu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, China
| | - Shanshan Xiao
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Lihua Mao
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, China
| | - Ka Tung Chan
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chaoyu Li
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Meihan Lin
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Zanzan Liu
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Yanran Luo
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Yumingzi Sun
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Yu-Hsin Wu
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden
| | - Helgi B. Schiöth
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Russia
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Granados Samayoa JA, Fazio RH. “I want it now!” Intertemporal Choice Through the Lens of Valence Weighting Bias. SOCIAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2021.39.2.243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The current research presents a novel perspective regarding individual differences in intertemporal choice preferences. We postulate that such differences are partly rooted in individuals’ valence weighting proclivities—their characteristic manner of weighting positive and negative valence when constructing an initial evaluation. Importantly, valence weighting bias should predict intertemporal choice most strongly (a) for those who are relatively low in trait self-control and (b) when the magnitude of the available rewards is relatively small, because these two factors are associated with lesser motivation/resources to deliberate extensively about one's decision. More specifically, we propose that those with a more positive weighting bias give greater weight to the clearly positive immediate reward that is under consideration, and under these conditions, the resulting appraisal shapes choice more strongly. Using a performance-based measure of valence weighting tendencies, a hypothetical intertemporal choice task, and a self-report measure of trait self-control, we provide evidence for our hypothesis.
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He J, Jin L, Guan Y, Zi H. Attentional bias toward waiting time information among individuals with high and low trait self-control when making intertemporal choices. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2020.1807998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiamei He
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Jin
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuan Guan
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongyan Zi
- Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Healthy Personality Assessment and Cultivation of Children and Adolescents in Liaoning Province, Dalian, People’s Republic of China
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