An experimental investigation of the influence of time perspective on emotionally moderated intertemporal choices

Diplomarbeit von Ewa Tarasiewicz

Zusammenfassung:

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird experimentell nach einem Einfluss der Zukunftsperspektive auf das durch Emotionen moderierte, zeitverzögerte Entscheidungsverhalten gesucht. Die Zukunftsperspektive wurde gemessen mit dem Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory und mit dem Life-Space Sample. Das Entscheidungsverhalten wurde mit dem Delay Discounting Task untersucht und mit Hilfe der positiven bzw. aversiven Bilder aus dem international-anerkannten Bildersatz IAPS moderiert.

Anhand von drei Hypothesen wurde erwartet, dass die positiven Bilder eine kleine Diskontierungsrate in intertemporalen Wahlen verursachen und die aversiven Bilder eine große Diskontierungsrate bei den intertemporalen Wahlen verursachen. Das nächste erwartete Ergebnis betrifft die Zukunftsperspektive, gemessen mit dem Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Hohe Zukunftsorientierung auf der Zimbardo Skala erklärt eine niedrige Diskontierungsrate in intertemporalen Wahlen, eine niedrige Punktzahl auf der Zukunftsskala des Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory erklärt im Gegensatz dazu eine hohe Diskontierungsrate bei den intertemporalen Wahlen. Als letztes wurde eine positive Korrelation zwischen der Zukunftsorientierung erwartet, gemessen mit zwei verschiedenen Methoden der Messung der Zukunftsperspektive: Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory und dem Life-Space Sample.

Von den erwarteten Ergebnissen wurde nur eins tatsächlich beobachtet, nämlich der Einfluss der positiven Stimmung auf das Entscheidungsverhalten. Weder die korrelative Beziehung der Zukunftsperspektiven, gemessen mit verschiedenen Methoden, noch der erklärende Einfluss der Zukunftsperspektive auf die Diskontierungsrate wurde gefunden.

Diese Ergebnisse stellen die Vergleichbarkeit der zwei Methoden der Messung der Zeitperspektive in Frage und weisen auch auf die Kompliziertheit des Konstrukts Zukunftsperspektive hin.

Abstract:

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that future orientation and emotional states induced by stimulus material systematically influence the decision making process in the delay discounting task and the width of the time horizon. In particular, our three hypotheses were that the influence of scoring high on the future orientation survey regarding time perspective on the choices made between two derived in different times monetary rewards is moderated by manipulations of the two emotional dimensions of affective valence and arousal. Also expected was also the influence of Future Orientation on the width of the Time Horizon. Two methods were used to measure the Future Orientation and the Time Horizon. Future Time Perspective was measured with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and the Life-Space Sample. Intertemporal choice behavior was assessed with a Delay Discounting task. In order to effectively manipulate two affective dimensions we used stimulus material previously standardized for affective valence and arousal. Results derived on a sample of 60 participants in age 19-61 years confirmed the effect of mood on intertemporal choice (p < .05). The rest of expected outcomes was not statistically significant.

Table of Contents:

Text sample:

Chapter 1.3, The influence of emotions on Time Perspective and Delay Discounting:

‘People are constantly engaged in emotionally driven behaviors. Because their behaviors are highly pervasive, psychological literature remarks the central meaning of emotional factors in most cognitive processes’ such as, for example, decision making. Theories on decision making often focus on intertemporal discounting as an aspect of decision making which is subject to emotional changes.

Whenever the reason of the emotional state is unrelated to the choice opportunities or to the objects of judgment, one can speak about incidental emotional responses. Incidental emotional responses, contrary to integral emotional responses, are often used as proxies for values. They include current emotions not caused by the target object, preexisting mood states and enduring emotional dispositions such as chronic anxiety. They have a variety of rational and irrational influences on judgments, decisions and behaviors, reasoning processes, the accuracy of one’s beliefs, one’s ability to exert self-control and the tendency to take risks.

‘The presence of moods can cause individuals to act in manners which are contrary to their own long-term self-interest, often with full awareness that they are doing so’. Research has found that even stock market returns are sensitive to incidental emotions caused by sunshine’.

Positive emotions like happiness, joy or amusement also affect human behavior. People who feel happy may be influenced to reward themselves generously and to feel as if they have more freedom to act. ‘Emotions of happiness may influence the likelihood of self-gifts and explain immediate gratification’.

The evidence from recent studies on the influence of emotional distress on impulse control, measured by eating unhealthy food, procrastinating and delay discounting, shows that people are more likely to give in to their impulses when they are emotionally distressed and also convinced that this may change their mood. The research has shown an emotionally mediated connection between negative moods and impulse control. It indicates that negative states shift the priority among distressed individuals who seem to place the immediate goal of feeling better ahead of other goals. Negative affective states have been also found to reduce the ability to resist temptation and delay gratification among children.

The theory and data indicate that threat-related negative emotional states bias people towards short-term thinking, favoring immediate consequences. He showed that subjects who were confronted with aversive slides from the International Affective Picture System repeatedly favored the option that had beneficial immediate effects, despite larger subsequent costs to the goal of doing well on the task. His experiment proved that the aversive pictures produce a bias to favor short-term outcomes.

1.4, Hypotheses:

The following experiment was conducted to test the hypotheses derived from the prior theoretical considerations. This finding could help to improve to operationalization of Future Time Perspective, that seems to be a complicated construct. All three methods used in the experiment are considered to be measures of FTP, therefore I expect correlations between them. Also the role of the mood could show how sensitive the intertemporal choice is, and hence, could be manipulated.

My hypotheses are:

Subjects in the negative mood discount rewards more and show a shorter time horizon than the subjects in the positive mood.

H0: Subjects in the negative mood discount rewards same as or less than the ones in the positive mood; subjects in the negative mood show same as or extended time horizon as the ones in positive mood.

H1: Subjects in the negative mood discount rewards more than the ones in the positive mood; subjects in the negative mood show shorter time horizon as the ones in positive mood.

Subjects with a weak future perspective (measured with ZTPI) discount rewards more steeply and show a short time horizon (captured with the Life-Space sample). Subjects with a strong future perspective (measured with ZTPI) discount rewards less steeply and show a broad time horizon (captured with the Life-Space sample).

H0:Subjects with a weak future perspective (measured with ZTPI) ) show a short time horizon (captured with the Life-Space sample) and discount rewards same as or less than the ones with a strong future perspective. Subjects with a strong future perspective (measured with ZTPI) discount rewards more steeply and show a broader time horizon (captured with the Life-Space Sample ).

H1:Subjects with a weak future perspective (measured with ZTPI) discount rewards more steeply and show a short time horizon (captured with the Life-Space sample).Subjects with a strong future perspective (measured with ZTPI) discount rewards less steeply and show a broad time horizon (captured with the Life-Space sample).

Subjects who have a high discount rate show shorter future time extension (captured with the Life-space sample) than the ones who have small discount rates.

H0:Subjects who have a high discount rate show larger or the same future time extension (captured with the Life-space sample) than the ones who have small discount rates.

H1:Subjects who have a high discount rate show shorter future time extension (captured with the Life-space sample) than the ones who have small discount rates.