Bickel Titrator
The Bickel Titrator is an adaptive task that measures delay discounting - the tendency to prefer smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards.
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About the Bickel Titrator
The Bickel Titrator is an adaptive procedure for measuring delay discounting, developed by Bickel and colleagues. It uses a titration algorithm to efficiently estimate indifference points - the amounts at which immediate and delayed rewards are equally preferred.
Scientific Background
Delay discounting is a fundamental aspect of impulsivity and self-control. Steep discounting has been associated with various problematic behaviors including substance abuse, gambling, obesity, and poor financial planning. Understanding your discounting rate can provide insights into your decision-making patterns.
References
- Bickel, W. K., Pitcock, J. A., Yi, R., & Angtuaco, E. (2009). Congruence of BOLD response across intertemporal choice conditions: Fictive and real money gains and losses. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(27), 8839-8846. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5319-08.2009
- Kirby, K. N., Petry, N. M., & Bickel, W. K. (1999). Heroin addicts have higher discount rates for delayed rewards than non-drug-using controls. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 128(1), 78-87. 10.1037/0096-3445.128.1.78
- Green, L., & Myerson, J. (2004). A discounting framework for choice with delayed and probabilistic rewards. Psychological Bulletin, 130(5), 769-792. 10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.769
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Frequently Asked Questions
Have another question? Let us know.
What is delay discounting?
Delay discounting is the tendency for a reward to lose subjective value as its arrival is pushed into the future — preferring a smaller amount today over a larger amount next year is the classic example.
What does the titrator do?
It adapts the choices to your answers, converging on the point where a smaller-sooner and a larger-later reward feel equally valuable — similar to the titration procedures used by Bickel and colleagues in discounting research.
How should I interpret my discounting rate?
Steeper discounting means future rewards lose value faster for you, a pattern research has linked to impulsive choice. It describes this session's preferences, not a clinical diagnosis.
Why does this matter outside the lab?
Discounting shapes how people weigh money, health, and education decisions, and it is a central measure in addiction and self-control research.
About This Experiment
This experiment is an educational adaptation for demonstration purposes. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Results reflect your performance in this specific session and should not be interpreted as an assessment of your cognitive abilities.
Data Privacy
Your experiment data is processed and stored locally in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server unless you explicitly export it.
