This cluster looks at how people pick between a small reward now or a bigger reward later. It shows that the way you ask the question changes the choice, and fake money works just as well as real money. BCBAs can use these tricks to help clients wait for bigger rewards instead of grabbing small ones right away.
Common questions from BCBAs and RBTs
Delay discounting is the tendency to prefer a smaller reward now over a larger reward later. It matters for ABA because clients who discount steeply have a harder time working toward goals that take time, like earning a preferred activity at the end of a session.
Yes. Research consistently shows that hypothetical money produces the same discount curves as real money in typical adults, making it a practical and low-cost option for assessment.
Quite a bit. Describing the same reward as a different size, duration, or cost changes how steeply people discount it. Use the same wording every time you assess to keep your data meaningful.
Yes. Adolescents tend to discount gains more steeply than losses, which means they feel the pull of an immediate reward more strongly than they fear an immediate penalty.
Limit access to competing reinforcers during the wait, use a clear visual countdown, and start with short delays before building up. Small consistent wins train the tolerance gradually.