La Experiencia Fronteriza Modula el Valor Subjetivo de Recompensas Monetarias Demoradas / The Border Experience Modulates the Subjective Value of Delayed Monetary Rewards

Resumen La población en la frontera norte de México experimenta condiciones económicas particulares al interactuar con dos divisas con tasas de inflación diferente por lo que sus patrones de elección intertemporales pueden ser distintos que en población de la misma nacionalidad no expuesta a esta condición. El objetivo es determinar si la experiencia con diferentes tasas de inflación afecta el descuento temporal de recompensas monetarias de dos divisas diferentes a través del contraste entre un grupo de 36 trabajadores de la frontera México-Estados Unidos y 28 trabajadores del centro del País. Cada participante completó dos tareas de descuento temporal, en donde tenían que elegir entre una recompensa pequeña inmediata y otra grande pero demorada. Una tarea involucraba recompensas monetarias en pesos ($8000 para la opción demorada) y la otra en dólares equivalentes de acuerdo a la tasa de cambio. Se encontró que los participantes fronterizos devaluaron más el peso que el dólar en condiciones de demoras grandes y en comparación con su contraparte del interior de la república, quienes descontaron de la misma manera el peso y el dólar. Los resultados son coherentes con la hipótesis del efecto de la inflación sobre la toma de decisiones intertemporales que involucran recompensas monetarias.

Abstract The population on the northern border of Mexico experiences particular economic conditions when interacting with two currencies with different inflation rates, so their intertemporal choice patterns may be different than in the population of the same nationality not exposed to this condition. The objective is to determine if the experience with different inflation rates affects the temporary discount of monetary rewards of two different currencies through the contrast between a group of 36 workers from the Mexico-United States border and 28 workers from the center of the country. Each participant completed two temporary discount tasks, where they had to choose between a small immediate reward and a large but delayed one. One task involved monetary rewards in pesos ($8,000 for the delayed option) and the other in equivalent dollars according to the exchange rate. It was found that border participants devalued the peso more than the dollar in conditions of long delays and compared to their counterparts in the interior of the republic, who discounted the peso and the dollar in the same way. The results are consistent with the hypothesis of the effect of inflation on intertemporal decision making involving monetary rewards.

Temporal discounting and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood: reasons for devising different tasks / Desconto do futuro e o transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade: razões para o desenvolvimento de diferentes tarefas

Abstract Introduction: Temporal discounting (TD) describes how a certain reward is seen as less valuable the more its delivery is postponed. There are two main types of TD tasks, hypothetical and real, both of which use monetary rewards. Over the last few years, however, variants of these tasks have been adjusted to assess clinical groups of children showing impulsivity as found in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective: To review and discuss studies conducted over the last 10 years on the use of TD tasks in the assessment of pediatric patients with ADHD. Method: For this literature review, articles were non-systematically selected from PubMed, MEDLINE and SciELO databases to include experimental studies on the use of at least one TD paradigm to assess and distinguish ADHD and non-ADHD groups. Results: Of the studies assessed, 76.19% used hypothetical tasks, followed by real tasks (28.57%), and, finally, tasks using different types of reward, such as toys or rewarding activities (14.28%). Conclusions: Although assessed in few studies, real and alternative tasks appeared to be effective in differentiating clinical groups and suitable for investigating hot executive functions in childhood.

Resumo Introdução: O desconto do futuro (DF) é um processo no qual uma determinada recompensa é vista como menos valiosa à medida que sua entrega é postergada. Existem dois tipos principais de tarefas de DF, hipotéticas e reais, sendo que ambas usam recompensas monetárias. Nos últimos anos, no entanto, variantes dessas tarefas têm sido adaptadas para avaliar grupos clínicos de crianças que apresentam comportamento impulsivo, como no caso do transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH). Objetivo: Revisar e discutir os estudos realizados nos últimos 10 anos sobre o uso de tarefas de DF na avaliação de pacientes pediátricos com TDAH. Método: Para esta revisão de literatura, os artigos foram selecionados de forma não sistemática nas bases de dados PubMed, MEDLINE e SciELO, de forma a incluir estudos experimentais sobre o uso de ao menos um paradigma de DF para a avaliação e distinção de grupos com e sem TDAH. Resultados: Dos estudos avaliados, 76,19% utilizaram tarefas hipotéticas, seguidas de tarefas reais (28,57%) e, finalmente, de tarefas com diferentes tipos de recompensa, como brinquedos ou atividades recompensadoras (14,28%). Conclusões: Embora avaliadas em poucos estudos, tarefas reais e alternativas parecem ser eficazes na diferenciação de grupos clínicos e adequadas para investigação de funções executivas quentes na infância.

The Relationship between Temporal Discounting and Well-Being in the Elderly

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine association of temporal discounting with well-being of Korean community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: The subjects of this research were 4,373 community-dwelling older persons without dementia. Each subject was administered the questionnaires regarding the socio-demographic characteristics, temporal discounting which was measured using standard questions in which participants were asked to choose between an immediate, smaller payment and a delayed, larger one. Outcome variable is Korean version of the World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Statistical analyses including the Pearson's correlation test and logistic regression were performed in this study. RESULTS: At baseline, temporal discounting was negatively associated with WHO-5 in the Pearson's correlation test (r=-0.04, p=0.006). In a adjusted model for confounding variables, temporal discounting was negatively associated with WHO-5 [odd ratio (95% confidence interval)=0.57 (0.35–0.92), p=0.021]. CONCLUSION: Elderly individual with a higher temporal discounting (which indicates impulsivity) may have a lower quality of life.