Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2022 Oct;75(10):1876-1891. doi: 10.1177/17470218211066282. Epub 2021 Dec 29.
Delay discounting (DD) refers to the phenomenon in which the subjective value of future rewards is reduced over time. There are individual differences in the DD rate, and increased discounting has been observed in those with various psychiatric disorders. Episodic future thinking (EFT) is the act of vividly imagining events that may happen in the future. Studies have shown that EFT could reduce DD, although inconsistent results have been reported. The aim of this meta-analysis was to clarify the efficacy with which EFT reduces DD and to identify potential moderators. Forty-seven studies (including 63 contrasts) were included in the final analysis. EFT was found to significantly reduce DD (Hedges' = 0.52). Moderator analysis showed that positive EFT ( = 0.64) was more effective in reducing DD than EFT with the valence not specifically mentioned ( = 0.28) and EFT with neutral or negative valence ( = -0.03). In addition, several factors related to the control task and DD task were related to the efficacy of EFT to reduce DD. These findings have implications for using EFT to reduce DD in the future.
延迟折扣（DD）是指未来奖励的主观价值随时间减少的现象。DD 率存在个体差异，并且在各种精神障碍患者中观察到折扣增加。情景式未来思维（EFT）是生动想象未来可能发生的事件的行为。研究表明，EFT 可以减少 DD，但报告的结果不一致。本荟萃分析旨在阐明 EFT 减少 DD 的功效，并确定潜在的调节因素。最终分析包括 47 项研究（包括 63 个对比）。结果发现 EFT 显著降低 DD（Hedges' = 0.52）。调节分析表明，积极的 EFT（ = 0.64）比未特别提及的 EFT（ = 0.28）和具有中性或负性效价的 EFT（ = -0.03）更有效地降低 DD。此外，与控制任务和 DD 任务相关的几个因素与 EFT 降低 DD 的功效有关。这些发现对未来使用 EFT 降低 DD 具有启示意义。
