Work

A neural signature of the vividness of prospective thought is modulated by temporal proximity during intertemporal decision making

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Why do people discount future rewards? Multiple theories in psychology argue that one reason is that future events are imagined less vividly than immediate events, thereby diminishing their perceived value. Here we provide neuroscientific evidence for this proposal. First, we construct a neural signature of the vividness of prospective thought, using an fMRI dataset where the vividness of imagined future events is orthogonal to their valence by design. Then, we apply this neural signature in two additional fMRI datasets, each using a different delay-discounting task, to show that neural measures of vividness decline as rewards are delayed farther into the future.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214072119

Authors: Sangil Lee, Trishala Parthasarathi, Nicole Cooper, Gal Zauberman, Caryn Lerman, Joseph W. Kable

Institutions: University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, University of Southern California, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Language: English

Topic: Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Subfield: General Decision Sciences

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid