Individuals make decisions about whether or not they will explore or exploit their environment every day, but it is unclear how impulsivity, or an ind Show moreIndividuals make decisions about whether or not they will explore or exploit their environment every day, but it is unclear how impulsivity, or an individual’s rate of delay discounting, impacts this decision. It is hypothesized that individuals with higher rates of delay discounting exhibit more exploitative behaviors. Participants in this study were given the 27-item Monetary Choice Questionnaire asking them to choose between receiving a small reward immediately or a larger reward at a later time to measure their rate of delay discounting. High levels of delay discounting occurred when individuals preferred smaller, immediate rewards. Low levels of delay discounting occured when individuals preferred larger, delayed rewards. They were then asked to complete the Horizon Task, which measures a person’s directed exploration, random exploration, and exploitation. When an individual chose a slot machine that was optimal during the Horizon Task, they were said to be exhibiting exploitation behavior. Delay discounting and exploitation were found to have a non-significant correlation. As such, we found no evidence that delay discounting relates to exploitative behavior. Show less
