TEMPORAL DISCOUNTING: BASIC RESEARCH AND THE ANALYSIS OF SOCIALLY IMPORTANT BEHAVIOR

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 101 - 122
• Main Authors: Critchfield, Thomas S., Kollins, Scott H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2001; Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• Subjects: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; delayed consequences; Drug abuse; General aspects; Humans; Hyperactivity; Medical sciences; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; self-control; Social Behavior; Social research; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; temporal discounting; Time Factors; Human; Attentional disorder; Behavioral analysis; Hyperactivity; Self control; Time; Review
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1901/jaba.2001.34-101

Recent basic research on human temporal discounting is reviewed to illustrate procedures, summarize key findings, and draw parallels with both nonhuman animal research and conceptual writings on self‐control. Lessons derived from this research are then applied to the challenge of analyzing socially important behaviors such as drug abuse, eating and exercise, and impulsiveness associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Attending to the broader temporal context in which behavior occurs may aid in the analysis of socially important behavior. Applying this perspective to the study of behavior in natural environments also highlights the importance of combining methodological flexibility with conceptual rigor to promote the extension of applied behavior analysis to a broader array of socially important behaviors.