THE RELATION BETWEEN TEMPERAMENT AND RATE OF TEMPORAL DISCOUNTING

The present study examines the relationship between several temperamen tal traits (sensation seeking, extraversion-introversion, and impulsiv ity) and rate of temporal discounting, that is the rate of decrease in the subjective value of a reward as the delay to its receipt increase s. Participants made choices between hypothetical monetary rewards tha t could be obtained immediately or after a specified delay. Temporal d iscounting functions were calculated and differences in rate of discou nting between different groups were evaluated. For all groups of parti cipants, hyperbolic discounting functions described well the decreases in subjective value with delay (R(2) ranged from 0.700 to 0.985). The rate of discounting was equivalent in high and low sensation seekers. However, both extraverts and high impulsive individuals showed higher temporal discounting rates than introverts and low impulsive individu als. The relationship between temperament and temporal discounting may be related to differences in rime perception and/or to differences in susceptibility, to rewards in extraverts versus introverts and in hig h- versus low-impulsive individuals.