TY - JOUR
T1 - Delay or probability discounting in a model of impulsive behavior
T2 - Effect of alcohol
AU - Richards, Jerry B.
AU - Zhang, Lan
AU - Mitchell, Suzanne H.
AU - De Wit, Harriet
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1999/3
Y1 - 1999/3
N2 - Little is known about the acute effects of drugs of abuse on impulsivity and self-control. In this study, impulsivity was assessed in humans using a computer task that measured delay and probability discounting. Discounting describes how much the value of a reward (or punisher) is decreased when its occurrence is either delayed or uncertain. Twenty-four healthy adult volunteers ingested a moderate dose of ethanol (0.5 or 0.8 g/kg ethanol; n = 12 at each dose) or placebo before completing the discounting task. In the task the participants were given a series of choices between a small, immediate, certain amount of money and $10 that was either delayed (0, 2, 30, 180, or 365 days) or probabilistic (i.e., certainty of receipt was 1.0, .9, .75, .5, or .25). The point at which each individual was indifferent between the smaller immediate or certain reward and the $10 delayed or probabilistic reward was identified using an adjusting-amount procedure. The results indicated that (a) delay and probability discounting were well described by a hyperbolic function; (b) delay and probability discounting were positively correlated within subjects; (c) delay and probability discounting were moderately correlated with personality measures of impulsivity; and (d) alcohol had no effect on discounting.
AB - Little is known about the acute effects of drugs of abuse on impulsivity and self-control. In this study, impulsivity was assessed in humans using a computer task that measured delay and probability discounting. Discounting describes how much the value of a reward (or punisher) is decreased when its occurrence is either delayed or uncertain. Twenty-four healthy adult volunteers ingested a moderate dose of ethanol (0.5 or 0.8 g/kg ethanol; n = 12 at each dose) or placebo before completing the discounting task. In the task the participants were given a series of choices between a small, immediate, certain amount of money and $10 that was either delayed (0, 2, 30, 180, or 365 days) or probabilistic (i.e., certainty of receipt was 1.0, .9, .75, .5, or .25). The point at which each individual was indifferent between the smaller immediate or certain reward and the $10 delayed or probabilistic reward was identified using an adjusting-amount procedure. The results indicated that (a) delay and probability discounting were well described by a hyperbolic function; (b) delay and probability discounting were positively correlated within subjects; (c) delay and probability discounting were moderately correlated with personality measures of impulsivity; and (d) alcohol had no effect on discounting.
KW - Alcohol
KW - Choice
KW - Delay discounting
KW - Humans
KW - Impulsivity
KW - Probability discounting
KW - Self-control
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U2 - 10.1901/jeab.1999.71-121
DO - 10.1901/jeab.1999.71-121
M3 - Article
C2 - 10220927
AN - SCOPUS:0033094738
VL - 71
SP - 121
EP - 143
JO - Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
JF - Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
SN - 0022-5002
IS - 2
ER -