Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Wiemer, Katja

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Humans employ different processes of decision-making, depending on a variety of factors including the temporal situation of the potential outcome. This study proposes a hybrid, dual-systems theoretical model of future-choice making, with an arousal-based switch as the main predictor of the decision-making process employed. Using a sample of 120 undergraduate participants, this relationship was explored using an episodic future-thought cue, paired with a temporal-discounting task in the same timeframe. Response times were measured to identify which of the proposed decision-making processes were employed, as well as temporal discounting rates for each participant. An ANOVA showed that there was no significant main effect of arousal on temporal discounting rates (F=(1,107) =0.98, p=0.28) or response times (F(1,107)=0.44, p=0.51). An ANCOVA exploring the effect of arousal on response times, with vividness of mental imagery as a covariate was marginally significant, (b=-0.10, p=0.049). Thus, while the impact of arousal was not fully supported, findings on the effect of vividness highlights inconsistent results of valence effects in previous studies. Interpretations of these results, implications, limitations and future directions are discussed.

Extent

48 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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