| dc.description.abstract | Aims:Past research has linked substance use to individual differences in discounting of futurerewards. Since behaviours such as smoking and excessive drinking appear to involve a devaluationof future negative consequences, discounting ofcostsmay also be relevant in the understanding ofsuch behaviour. The primary aims were to investigate the association between cost discountingand the behaviours smoking and hazardous drinking.Methods:In four studies, individualsrecruited from the crowdsourcing marketplace Amazon Mechanical Turk responded to measuresof discounting. Results were combined by meta-analysis of the standardised mean differences (d)between self-reported smokers and non-smokers, and between participants with AUDIT scores of10þ(hazardous drinking) and those with scores below 10.Results:In comparison with non-smokers, smokers’ relative valuations of future gains were lower,d¼–0.32, 95% CI [–0.47, –0.18].There was no association between smoking and cost discounting,d¼–0.02, 95% CI [–0.17, 0.13].Participants with AUDIT scores of 10þvalued future gains somewhat lower than participants withscores below 10,d¼–0.17, 95% CI [–0.35, 0.01]. There was no association between hazardousdrinking and cost discounting,d¼–0.02, 95% CI [–0.21, 0.16]. According to Bayes Factors (BF),the data supported an association between gain discounting and smoking (BF > 100). It wasinsensitive in the analysis of gain discounting and hazardous drinking (BF¼0.6), but it stronglysupported null-effects in both analyses of cost discounting (BFs¼0.1).Conclusion:The resultssuggest that the robust link between gain discounting and smoking status does not reflect ageneraldevaluation of future outcomes among smokers. | |
