scholarly journals The effect of episodic future thinking on delay discounting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rebecca Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Design Studies ◽  
Indifference Points ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Participant Characteristics

<p>Delay discounting refers to the fact that rewards lose their value if they are delayed. Excessive delay discounting is associated with various health-related problems such as over-eating and substance abuse. One phenomenon shown to reduce delay discounting is Episodic Future Thinking (EFT; imagining personal future events). Across multiple experiments and a meta-analysis, the current thesis examined the reliability of the effect of EFT on delay discounting and also sought to clarify the components of EFT that are necessary to reduce delay discounting.  Experiment 1 replicated the EFT effect using a common titrating-amount procedure, and the meta-analysis based on 40 independent studies confirmed that EFT has a reliable, medium-sized effect on delay discounting. The meta-analysis also assessed the robustness of the EFT effect across various methodological features and participant characteristics. A multiple meta-regression revealed that the between-study variability in the size of the EFT effect was accounted for by study design and type of discounting measure. Within-subjects design studies had significantly smaller effect sizes than between-subjects design studies. Studies that used k as a discounting rate measure had significantly smaller effect sizes than studies that used area under the discounting curve or other atheoretical discounting measures. The size of the EFT effect was robust across different participant characteristics and ages, suggesting that EFT may be utilized as an effective intervention for a variety of age groups and impulsive behaviors.  Experiments 2A, 2B and 2C assessed the suitability of an alternative and briefer delay discounting procedure (in which participants simply report their indifference points) for subsequent EFT experiments. The report indifference points procedure produced a high percentage of invalid data, a finding that was replicated across all three experiments. We therefore continued to use the well-established titrating-amount procedure in subsequent studies.  Experiment 3A found that episodic past thinking (imagining personal past events) and semantic future thinking (estimating what a person could buy with the larger, delayed amount) had no effect on discounting, indicating that both episodic thinking and future thinking are necessary components of the EFT effect. Experiment 3A results also indicated that financial relevance alone is not sufficient to reducing discounting. Experiment 3B found that the future events also need to be personally relevant to reduce discounting, and that participants perceived EFT to reduce their discounting by primarily making the larger, delayed reward more valuable. We also showed that demand characteristics, where participants change their behavior to conform to the researcher’s expectations, are an unlikely explanation for the EFT effects found in Experiments 3A and 3B. Further research is warranted to form a better understanding of the mechanism(s) through which EFT reduces delay discounting.</p>

scholarly journals The effect of episodic future thinking on delay discounting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rebecca Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Design Studies ◽  
Indifference Points ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Participant Characteristics

<p>Delay discounting refers to the fact that rewards lose their value if they are delayed. Excessive delay discounting is associated with various health-related problems such as over-eating and substance abuse. One phenomenon shown to reduce delay discounting is Episodic Future Thinking (EFT; imagining personal future events). Across multiple experiments and a meta-analysis, the current thesis examined the reliability of the effect of EFT on delay discounting and also sought to clarify the components of EFT that are necessary to reduce delay discounting.  Experiment 1 replicated the EFT effect using a common titrating-amount procedure, and the meta-analysis based on 40 independent studies confirmed that EFT has a reliable, medium-sized effect on delay discounting. The meta-analysis also assessed the robustness of the EFT effect across various methodological features and participant characteristics. A multiple meta-regression revealed that the between-study variability in the size of the EFT effect was accounted for by study design and type of discounting measure. Within-subjects design studies had significantly smaller effect sizes than between-subjects design studies. Studies that used k as a discounting rate measure had significantly smaller effect sizes than studies that used area under the discounting curve or other atheoretical discounting measures. The size of the EFT effect was robust across different participant characteristics and ages, suggesting that EFT may be utilized as an effective intervention for a variety of age groups and impulsive behaviors.  Experiments 2A, 2B and 2C assessed the suitability of an alternative and briefer delay discounting procedure (in which participants simply report their indifference points) for subsequent EFT experiments. The report indifference points procedure produced a high percentage of invalid data, a finding that was replicated across all three experiments. We therefore continued to use the well-established titrating-amount procedure in subsequent studies.  Experiment 3A found that episodic past thinking (imagining personal past events) and semantic future thinking (estimating what a person could buy with the larger, delayed amount) had no effect on discounting, indicating that both episodic thinking and future thinking are necessary components of the EFT effect. Experiment 3A results also indicated that financial relevance alone is not sufficient to reducing discounting. Experiment 3B found that the future events also need to be personally relevant to reduce discounting, and that participants perceived EFT to reduce their discounting by primarily making the larger, delayed reward more valuable. We also showed that demand characteristics, where participants change their behavior to conform to the researcher’s expectations, are an unlikely explanation for the EFT effects found in Experiments 3A and 3B. Further research is warranted to form a better understanding of the mechanism(s) through which EFT reduces delay discounting.</p>

scholarly journals Mix and Match: An Investigation into Whether Episodic Future Thinking Cues Need to Match Discounting Delays in Order to Be Effective

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara O’Donnell ◽  
Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen ◽  
Leonard Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Time Delays ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Future Event ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Mix And Match

Episodic future thinking (EFT), or prospectively imagining yourself in the future, has been developed into an intervention tool to reduce delay discounting (DD), or the preference for smaller immediate over larger future rewards, and to make healthier choices that promote long-term health rather than short-term enjoyment. Most EFT interventions use EFT cues whose future events match the time delays of the DD task, which may limit the utility of EFT. The current study (N = 160, Mage = 35.25, 47.5% female) used a 2 × 2 factorial design with type of episodic thinking (matched, unmatched) and temporal perspective (EFT, episodic recent thinking (ERT)) as between-subject factors to investigate whether there were differences in DD for groups that had EFT cues matched to the time delays of the DD task in comparison to cues with unmatched temporal delays. The results showed EFT reduced DD compared to ERT controls, and no differences emerged between matched and unmatched EFT groups. Our findings suggest that either the process of generating EFT cues or the use of any positive and vivid future event, regardless of whether it is matched to the DD task, can reduce DD.

EXPRESS: A meta-analysis of the effects of episodic future thinking on delay discounting

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110662
Author(s):  
Jun-yan Ye ◽  
Qing-yu Ding ◽  
Ji-fang Cui ◽  
Zhe Liu ◽  
Lu-xia Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Subjective Value ◽  
The Future

Delay discounting (DD) refers to the phenomenon in which the subjective value of future rewards is reduced over time. There are individual differences in the DD rate, and increased discounting has been observed in those with various psychiatric disorders. Episodic future thinking (EFT) is the act of vividly imagining events that may happen in the future. Studies have shown that EFT could reduce DD, although inconsistent results have been reported. The aim of this meta-analysis was to clarify the efficacy with which EFT reduces DD and to identify potential moderators. Forty-seven studies (including 63 contrasts) were included in the final analysis. EFT was found to significantly reduce DD (Hedges’ g =0.52). Moderator analysis showed that positive EFT (g=0.64) was more effective in reducing DD than EFT with the valence not specifically mentioned (g=0.28), and EFT with neutral or negative valence (g=-0.03). In addition, several factors related to the control task and DD task were related to the efficacy of EFT to reduce DD. These findings have implications for using EFT to reduce DD in the future.

scholarly journals Imagining Emotional Events Benefits Future-Oriented Decisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Palombo ◽  
Christopher R Madan
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Baseline Task ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Emotional Events

How does imagining future events – whether positive or negative – influence our choices in the present? Prior work has shown the simulation of hypothetical future events, dubbed episodic future thinking, can alter the propensity to engage in delay discounting (the tendency to devalue future rewards) and does so in a valence specific manner. Some research shows that positive episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting, whereas negative future thinking augments it. However, more recent research indicates that both positive and negative episodic future thinking reduce delay discounting, suggesting an effect of episodic future thinking that is independent of valence (Bulley et al., 2019). In the present study, we sought to replicate and extend these latter findings. Here, participants (N = 604) completed an online study. In the baseline task, participants completed a delay discounting task. In the experimental task, they engaged in episodic future thinking before completing a second delay discounting task. Participants were randomly assigned to engage in either positive, neutral, or negative episodic future thinking. In accordance with Bulley et al., we found that episodic future thinking, regardless of valence, reduced delay discounting. Although episodic future thinking shifted decision-making in all conditions, the effect was stronger when participants engaged in positive episodic future thinking, even after accounting for personal relevance and vividness of imagined events. These findings suggest that episodic future thinking may promote future-oriented choices by contextualizing the future, and this effect is further strengthened when the future is tied to positive emotion.

scholarly journals Psychopathology and Episodic Future Thinking: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Specificity and Episodic Detail

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David John Hallford ◽  
David W. Austin ◽  
Keisuke Takano ◽  
Filip Raes
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mental Simulation ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Future Events

Episodic future thinking (EFT) refers to the mental simulation of possible future events; a crucial mental process in adaptation. Psychiatric disorders are associated with deficits in recalling episodic memory, however, no study has reviewed the empirical literature to assess for similar deficits in EFT. A systematic review comparing psychiatric groups with control groups on the specificity and episodic detail of EFT returned 19 eligible studies. An overall effect of g = -0.84 (95%CI = -1.06, - 0.62, p &lt; .001) indicated individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis have significantly less specific and detailed EFT. Publication bias was not detected, but heterogeneity was. No methodological characteristics were significant moderators. Subgroup analyses showed significant effects for depression (g = -0.79, p &lt; .001, k = 7), bipolar disorder (g = -1.00, p &lt; .001, k = 2), and schizophrenia (g = -1.06, p &lt; .001, k = 6), but not posttraumatic stress disorder (g = -1.04, p = .260, k = 2) or complicated grief (g = -0.41, p = .08, k = 2). Deficits in EFT are apparent in some psychiatric disorders. However, many clinical groups are understudied, and the causal mechanisms and remediation of these deficits require further research attention.

scholarly journals Imagining Emotional Events Benefits Future-Oriented Decisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Palombo ◽  
Christopher R Madan
Keyword(s):  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Baseline Task ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Emotional Events

How does imagining future events – whether positive or negative – influence our choices in the present? Prior work has shown the simulation of hypothetical future events, dubbed episodic future thinking, can alter the propensity to engage in delay discounting (the tendency to devalue future rewards) and does so in a valence specific manner. Some research shows that positive episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting, whereas negative future thinking augments it. However, more recent research indicates that both positive and negative episodic future thinking reduce delay discounting, suggesting an effect of episodic future thinking that is independent of valence (Bulley et al., 2019). In the present study, we sought to replicate and extend these latter findings. Here, participants (N = 604) completed an online study. In the baseline task, participants completed a delay discounting task. In the experimental task, they engaged in episodic future thinking before completing a second delay discounting task. Participants were randomly assigned to engage in either positive, neutral, or negative episodic future thinking. In accordance with Bulley et al., we found that episodic future thinking, regardless of valence, reduced delay discounting. Although episodic future thinking shifted decision-making in all conditions, the effect was stronger when participants engaged in positive episodic future thinking, even after accounting for personal relevance and vividness of imagined events. These findings suggest that episodic future thinking may promote future-oriented choices by contextualizing the future, and this effect is further strengthened when the future is tied to positive emotion.

Effectiveness of psychological interventions to improve emotion regulation in youth - a meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Moltrecht ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
Julian Childs
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
What Works ◽  
Large Heterogeneity ◽  
Larger Sample

Background: Research investigating the role of emotion regulation (ER) in the development and treatment of psychopathology has increased in recent years. Evidence suggests that an increased focus on ER in treatment can improve existing interventions. Most ER research has neglected young people, therefore the present meta-analysis summarizes the evidence for existing psychosocial intervention and their effectiveness to improve ER in youth. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-one randomized-control-trials (RCTs) assessed changes in ER following a psychological intervention in youth exhibiting various psychopathological symptoms.Results: We found moderate effect sizes for current interventions to decrease emotion dysregulation in youth (g=-.46) and small effect sizes to improve emotion regulation (g=0.36). Significant differences between studies including intervention components, ER measures and populations studied resulted in large heterogeneity. Conclusion: This is the first meta-analysis that summarizes the effectiveness for existing interventions to improve ER in youth. The results suggest that interventions can enhance ER in youth, and that these improvements correlate with improvements in psychopathology. More RCTs including larger sample sizes, different age groups and psychopathologies are needed to increase our understanding of what works for who and when.

scholarly journals Effects of 6-month episodic future thinking training on delay discounting, weight loss and HbA1c changes in individuals with prediabetes

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard H. Epstein ◽  
Rocco A. Paluch ◽  
Mathew J. Biondolillo ◽  
Jeff S. Stein ◽  
Teresa Quattrin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking

scholarly journals Specificity of Future Thinking in Depression: A Meta-Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau Gamble ◽  
David Moreau ◽  
Lynette J. Tippett ◽  
Donna Rose Addis
Keyword(s):  
Random Effects ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Moderator Variables ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
The Relationship

Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory has been well established in depression, but whether this ‘overgenerality’ extends to future thinking has not been the focus of a meta-analysis. Following a preregistered protocol, we searched six electronic databases, Google Scholar, personal libraries, and contacted authors in the field for studies matching search terms related to depression, future thinking, and specificity. We reduced an initial 7,332 results to 46 included studies, with 89 effect sizes and 4,813 total participants. Random effects meta-analytic modelling revealed a small but robust correlation between reduced future specificity and higher levels of depression (r = .13, p &lt; .001). Of the 11 moderator variables examined, the most striking effects related to the emotional valence of future thinking (p &lt; .001) and the sex of participants (p = .025). Namely, depression was linked to reduced specificity for positive (but not negative or neutral) future thinking, and the relationship was stronger in samples with a higher proportion of males. This meta-analysis contributes to our understanding of how prospection is altered in depression and dysphoria and, by revealing areas where current evidence is inconclusive, highlights key avenues for future research.

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