Affective processes in decision making and self-control :a critical look at Ainslie's model of decision making using neuroscience literature /by Cashen Moxley Boccio.

Self-control is necessary in order for people to avoid impulsive behavior and make advantageous decisions in the long run. Past theories of self-control have only been able to explain impulsive behavior in light of cognitive deficits and judgment errors. George Ainslie (2001) outlines a theory of self-control and impulsivity that is useful in explaining a large amount of behavior without cognitive defects. Ainslie??s theory is based on intertemporal bargaining and hyperbolic discounting as a way to explain impulsive shifts in preference. However, his theory has several flaws. Ainslie??s model is strongly cognitive in nature and does not fully appreciate the role of affect in decision making. The complicated cognitive nature of the theory is not parsimonious and is based on laboratory studies with pigeons that may not be generalizable to people. In addition, the theory suffers from two logical errors based on an attempt to link immediate emotional representations with a model based on recursive cognitive self-prediction (Kissner, 2012). A more logical and parsimonious model of self-control would be fundamentally affective in nature and would have cognitions in a secondary advisory role._x000D