vertragingkeuzeexperimenten

Vertragingkeuzeexperimenten, also known as delay discounting experiments, are a common research paradigm used in psychology and behavioral economics to study how individuals value rewards that are delayed. These experiments typically involve presenting participants with a series of choices between an immediate, smaller reward and a delayed, larger reward. The key manipulation is the delay period for the larger reward. Researchers measure how participants choose across various delay durations and reward magnitudes to understand their subjective valuation of future rewards.

The core concept behind these experiments is the idea that people tend to devalue rewards that are further in the future. This phenomenon is known as delay discounting or temporal discounting. The rate at which individuals discount future rewards can vary significantly, and it is influenced by factors such as age, impulsivity, socioeconomic status, and even specific clinical conditions like addiction or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

In a typical setup, participants might be offered $10 immediately versus $12 in a week, or $10 immediately versus $20 in a month. By systematically varying the delay and the difference in reward size, researchers can construct a discount function for each individual. This function mathematically represents how much less valuable a future reward is perceived to be compared to an equivalent reward received immediately. The findings from vertragingkeuzeexperimenten have implications for understanding decision-making in areas such as saving for retirement, health behaviors, and responses to financial incentives.