Contribution of income to the delay or probability discounting of monetary rewards

Authors

  • César Alexis Corona Palma Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Raúl Ávila Santibáñez Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
  • Chyntia Jaramy Díaz Cigales Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Abstract

The effect of the subjects’ income on delay –and probability– discounting rates was assessed. Participants were 40 high-income and 40 low-income young adults who were exposed to a delay discounting or a probability-discounting task with different reward amounts, using an adjusting amount procedure. Discounting rates and areas under the curve were calculated for both groups. Globally, high-income participants discounted less delayed rewards than low-income participants. In probability discounting, when the magnitude of the probabilistic reward was relatively small, highincome participants discounted less the reward; as the magnitude of the probabilistic reward increased, there were no differences between the discounting rates of participants of both income levels.

Keywords:

delay discounting, probability discounting, income, area under the curve