Examining the Relationships between Delay Discounting, Working Memory, and Fluid Intelligence

Abstract

Previous research has suggested a link between working memory, general fluid intelligence, and delay discounting by utilizing traditional behavioral measures. Because both working memory and general fluid intelligence rely on the ability to allocate attention effectively, the current study incorporates eye-tracking methodology to provide a more direct investigation of the relationship that each of these constructs shares with delay discounting. Participants in the current experiment first completed measures of working memory and general fluid intelligence. Next, participants were invited back to the lab to complete the delay discounting task during which time eye tracking was used to assess attentional processing. The current study was the first to measure attentional processing, which has been purported to account for differences in both of these executive processes. However, results from the current study do not provide support that working memory or general fluid intelligence are the mechanisms underlying differences in delay discounting.