The Art of Measurement - Exogenous Activation of Self-Control with Simple Verbal Sentences in Intertemporal Choice

Abstract: Recent neurological studies have found first causal evidence for a neural self-control mechanism in decision-making in intertemporal choice (e.g. Hare et al. 2009, 2011 & 2014, Figner et al., 2010). Figner et al. (2010) study was conducted by using a choice task design with binary questions between hypothetical sooner-smaller (SS) and larger-later (LL) monetary rewards. The researchers in that study used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to endogenously disrupt the left lateral-prefrontal cortex in individuals. They found out that the rTMS stimulation led to a decrease in self-control, which resulted in these individuals selecting fewer LL choices. This was especially true with the subset of choices that had intermediate magnitude differences (approximately between 5 and 20%). These rewards were temporally to be received “now”, or in 2 or 4 weeks time. In this subset the choice conflict between the SS and LL rewards was found to be the largest. Also, the successful triggering of self-control processes with external attention cues in intertemporal choice with binary dietary questions has been recently studied and proposed by Hare et al. (2011). The objective of my study is to test the triggering of endogenous self-control processes with exogenous attention cues in a binary choice task with 16 questions that are particularly designed to represent a large choice conflict between the SS and LL hypothetical monetary rewards. My method is to attempt to facilitate self-control by the use of a simple verbal sentence that includes functions such as cognitive inhibition of a prepotent response, response time, and a two-relational inverted value judgment. To my knowledge, my experiment is the first time that triggering of self-control with external attention cues with binary hypothetical financial delay discounting questions has been studied. The intervention, a simple verbal sentence, is designed within the implementation intention structure, an accomplished self-regulation tool from cognitive psychology that allows an effective way to automatize goal-directed behavior in a specified cue environment (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). The treatment sentence is specifically designed for the purpose of self-control facilitation in the binary choice task context but it is also intended to be modifiable to various general uses outside the experiment environment. The main hypothesis is that the result of the exogenously activated self-control intervention will enable subjects in this group to resist the temptation of the SS choice and thus choose more of the larger-later rewards on average than the individuals in the group who receive no intervention. The results of this experiment suggest that the intervention leads to subjects on average choosing significantly more LL choices in comparison with the control condition. Thus my conclusion is that the findings present first evidence for the utility of simple verbal sentences as exogenous facilitators of self-control in hypothetical financial delay discounting. Due to the simple nature of verbally formulated self-control tools, the cost-efficient moderation of immediate gratification has the potential to create enormous societal and economic benefits.