Validation of a Brief Measure of Sexual Decision-Making
Lillie Camp, MS & Mollie White, BS
Abstract: The delay discounting paradigm, a behavioral-economic transdiagnostic measure of the preference for a smaller immediate over a larger delayed reward, is a well-studied mechanism of human health problem behaviors. Sensitivity to delayed sexual outcomes is associated with negative health consequences such as sexually transmitted infection (STI) and unwanted pregnancy. Rates of delay discounting have a strong relationship to maladaptive sexual behavior but are typically measured through long and exhaustive laboratory procedures. In order to more efficiently examine delay discounting for sexual outcomes, a short-form measure of sexual decision-making is needed. The purpose of this study is to validate a shorter and more efficient methodological alternative for measuring delay discounting for hypothetical sexual outcomes. Participants recruited from undergraduate courses at Idaho State University (ISU) complete various measures to assess the psychometric validity of the Sexual Choice Questionnaire (SCQ), which is a short-form version of a longer computerized task published previously.
Delay Discounting, Emotion Differentiation, and Human Health Risk Behavior
Lauren Elmore, BA
Emotion differentiation is defined as the ability to distinguish between and hold distinctive representations of emotional states. Low emotion differentiation–or the tendency to experience vague emotional states–is implicated in increased engagement in health-risk behaviors such as substance use and overeating, among others. These health risk behaviors also are associated with delay discounting, which refers to a pattern of preference for smaller, sooner rewards over larger, later rewards. However, little is known about how emotion differentiation and delay discounting relate. This study aims to explore the relationship between these constructs and to examine their role in health-risk behavior. We hypothesize that 1) steeper delay discounting (i.e., preference for smaller, sooner rewards) will predict lower emotion differentiation, and 2) emotion differentiation will mediate the relationship between delay discounting and engagement in health-risk behaviors. We will recruit a community sample of individuals (N ≈ 200) to participate in an online study. Participants will complete measures related to emotion differentiation, delay discounting, and health-risk behaviors. Results will provide evidence towards a previously unexplored relationship between delay discounting and emotion differentiation, along with how these mechanisms may interact to influence engagement in health-risk behaviors. Given its potential association with delay discounting, emotion differentiation could be a key target in decreasing an individual’s propensity towards engagement in health-risk behaviors and their subsequent likelihood of developing negative health outcomes.
Lillie Camp, MS & Mollie White, BS
Abstract: The delay discounting paradigm, a behavioral-economic transdiagnostic measure of the preference for a smaller immediate over a larger delayed reward, is a well-studied mechanism of human health problem behaviors. Sensitivity to delayed sexual outcomes is associated with negative health consequences such as sexually transmitted infection (STI) and unwanted pregnancy. Rates of delay discounting have a strong relationship to maladaptive sexual behavior but are typically measured through long and exhaustive laboratory procedures. In order to more efficiently examine delay discounting for sexual outcomes, a short-form measure of sexual decision-making is needed. The purpose of this study is to validate a shorter and more efficient methodological alternative for measuring delay discounting for hypothetical sexual outcomes. Participants recruited from undergraduate courses at Idaho State University (ISU) complete various measures to assess the psychometric validity of the Sexual Choice Questionnaire (SCQ), which is a short-form version of a longer computerized task published previously.
Delay Discounting, Emotion Differentiation, and Human Health Risk Behavior
Lauren Elmore, BA
Emotion differentiation is defined as the ability to distinguish between and hold distinctive representations of emotional states. Low emotion differentiation–or the tendency to experience vague emotional states–is implicated in increased engagement in health-risk behaviors such as substance use and overeating, among others. These health risk behaviors also are associated with delay discounting, which refers to a pattern of preference for smaller, sooner rewards over larger, later rewards. However, little is known about how emotion differentiation and delay discounting relate. This study aims to explore the relationship between these constructs and to examine their role in health-risk behavior. We hypothesize that 1) steeper delay discounting (i.e., preference for smaller, sooner rewards) will predict lower emotion differentiation, and 2) emotion differentiation will mediate the relationship between delay discounting and engagement in health-risk behaviors. We will recruit a community sample of individuals (N ≈ 200) to participate in an online study. Participants will complete measures related to emotion differentiation, delay discounting, and health-risk behaviors. Results will provide evidence towards a previously unexplored relationship between delay discounting and emotion differentiation, along with how these mechanisms may interact to influence engagement in health-risk behaviors. Given its potential association with delay discounting, emotion differentiation could be a key target in decreasing an individual’s propensity towards engagement in health-risk behaviors and their subsequent likelihood of developing negative health outcomes.