Within-subject comparison of degree of delay discounting using titrating and fixed sequence procedures

Different procedures are often used across experiments to estimate the degree of delay discounting, a common measure of impulsivity. In all procedures, participants indicate their choice between a reward available immediately and one available after a delay. The present experiment determined whether there are differences in the degree of discounting for a hypothetical $100 produced by a procedure that titrates the immediate amount (titrating sequence procedure) versus a procedure that presents a fixed sequence of immediate amounts (fixed sequence procedure) using a within-subject design. The adult human participants showed no significant differences in degree of discounting between procedures as assessed by a hyperboloid model and the Area Under the Curve. Furthermore, the Area Under the Curve values from the two procedures showed a strong positive correlation. These findings suggest there may be no systematic difference between the degree of delay discounting as estimated by the titrating sequence and fixed sequence procedures. Given the apparent similarities in the results, it appears researchers may be justified in basing their choice of which procedure to use on convenience. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.