Development and validation of Intertemporal Decision-Making Ability Scale for early adolescents

ObjectiveIntertemporal decision-making ability refers to the ability of individuals to weigh costs and benefits at different time points and make choices, which is crucial for adolescents to resist temptation, improve self-control, and prospection. However, there are rarely studies that have been conducted to directly measure the intertemporal decision-making ability of adolescents.MethodIn this study, adolescents aged 9 to 15 years old were include to finish the measurement, and the intertemporal decision-making ability scale was developed based on three neural networks of intertemporal decision-making. After conducting the exploratory factor analysis, the final scale had 14 items in three dimensions.ResultsThe results showed that the intertemporal decision-making ability scale for early adolescents contains three dimensions, namely, cognitive control, reward valuation, and prospection, with a total of 14 items.ConclusionThe intertemporal decisionmaking ability scale developed in this study can effectively assess the intertemporal decisionmaking ability for early adolescents.. What is already known about this topic:(1) Intertemporal decision-making is a process in which individuals measure the costs and benefits at different time points.(2) Strong intertemporal decision-making ability is imperative for the cognitive of early adolescents and societal advancement.(3) Three brain networks are related to intertemporal decision-making: cognitive control, reward valuation, and prospection network.What this topic adds:(1) The present study elucidates the conceptualisation of intertemporal decision-making ability.(2) This study developed an early adolescent intertemporal decision-making ability scale with good reliability and validity.(3) The scale includes 14 items in three dimensions: cognitive control, reward valuation and prospection.