Ludwig Rita M, Flournoy John C, Berkman Elliot T
University of Oregon.
J Res Pers. 2019 Aug;81:79-87. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2019.05.003. Epub 2019 May 18.
Personality traits such as conscientiousness and impulsivity correlate with temporal discounting, the degree to which individuals discount the value of future relative to present rewards. These variables have, in turn, been hypothesized to relate to income inequality in the United States. A key but untested assumption of this hypothesis is that the association among these variables is distinct across socioeconomic classes. The purpose of the present research is to test that assumption. = 1,100 adults with annual income ranging from at or below the poverty line ($0-$20,000) to upper-middle class ($200,000+) completed personality measures and a measure of temporal discounting. The results of our preregistered analyses indicated a positive association of income with trait planfulness, and a negative association with trait impulsivity and one parameter of temporal discounting that captures a bias to prefer sooner rewards to a greater degree if they are delivered that day. Our results can inform psychological theories of inequality and a broader conversation about effective public policy.
尽责性和冲动性等人格特质与时间折扣相关，时间折扣是指个体相对于当前奖励对未来奖励价值的折扣程度。反过来，这些变量被假设与美国的收入不平等有关。该假设的一个关键但未经检验的假设是，这些变量之间的关联在社会经济阶层中是不同的。本研究的目的是检验这一假设。1100名成年人完成了人格测量和时间折扣测量，他们的年收入从贫困线及以下（0美元至20000美元）到中上层阶级（200000美元以上）不等。我们预先注册分析的结果表明，收入与特质计划性呈正相关，与特质冲动性以及时间折扣的一个参数呈负相关，该参数反映了一种偏向，如果当天就能获得奖励，会更倾向于更快获得奖励。我们的结果可以为不平等的心理学理论以及关于有效公共政策的更广泛讨论提供参考。
