Attentional processing: Replication and extension of selection bias as a predictor of intertemporal choice behavior

Basic underlying mechanisms of discounting delayed rewards remain unclear (Green & Myerson, 2013). There has been evidence that attentional mechanisms (e.g., fixation and fixation duration) could be further investigate processes related to the discounting of delayed rewards (Franco-Watkins, Matteson, & Jackson, 2016). Franco-Watkins et al. (2016) was the first to propose a measure of attentional mechanisms in a discounting paradigm, known as selection bias. The authors found selection bias was positively correlated with choice behavior. The present study replicated selection bias using a titration procedure and Area Under the Curve scores. This study also analyzed selection bias across choice presentations at the individual level. Our findings reveal that there are potential artifacts with discounting procedures. When choices were presented in a logical sequence, selection bias predicted choice behavior. When choices were randomized in a way that a participant could not predict the next choice, attention did not predict choice behavior. Overall, our findings suggest further research is needed to for a better understanding of eye-tracking within discounting paradigms