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The effect of socio-environmental cues of harshness on the discounting of future negative health consequences

König, P. (2022) The effect of socio-environmental cues of harshness on the discounting of future negative health consequences.

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Abstract:The concept of discounting of future negative health consequences is a relatively new idea in health psychology. It entails prioritizing immediate rewards while disregarding later health consequences. Life History Theory states that decision-making is influenced by an environment's level of harshness (risk for disability or death due to uncontrollable factors in the environment). This study investigated the influence of socio-environmental cues of harshness on the discounting of future suffering. It was hypothesized that participants exposed to harsh environments show higher discounting of future suffering than participants exposed to non-harsh environments. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that impulsivity moderates this effect. An experimental between-subject design was utilized. Participants were randomly assigned to one condition (harsh vs. non-harsh) in Virtual Reality. The variable “discounting of future suffering” was measured with a delay discounting task. On a scale from 0 to 100, participants were asked to indicate how miserable they would feel if diagnosed with a life-threatening disease for six delay periods. “Impulsiveness” was measured using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. To test the first hypothesis, a Mann-Whitney U test was conducted. A Multiple Linear Regression was executed to test the second hypothesis. Results indicated no significant effect.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/92617
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