Abstract
This study examined age-related changes in a specific aspect of adolescent decision- making, namely the preference for future versus immediate outcomes. A sample of 622 Dutch adolescents aged 12–17 years completed a temporal discounting task. Participants were asked to choose between a delayed reward of €50 or an immediate reward of lower value. The delay interval was varied in three blocks (1 week, 1 month, 6 months). Results showed that preferences for large delayed rewards over smaller immediate rewards increased with age: late adolescents made more long-term decisions than early adolescents. This change was related to educational track. In the lower educational track, an age-related decrease in discounting was found for all three delay intervals. In the higher educational track this decrease only occurred for the 6 month delay interval. However, across all delay intervals enrolment in a higher level educational track was associated with an increased preference for long-term rewards. These results suggest that late adolescents are less susceptible than early adolescents to the competing presence of an immediate reward when making long-term decisions, a skill which becomes increasingly important as they transition into adulthood.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 993 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-8 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Frontiers in Developmental Psychology |
Volume | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Dec 2013 |
Keywords
- temporal discounting
- adolescence
- age
- development
- educational track