Does goal relevant episodic future thinking amplify the effect on delay discounting?

O'Donnell, Sara; Oluyomi Daniel, Tinuke; Epstein, Leonard H.

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2017.02.014

Cited by 111Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsMemory Processes and InfluencesPsychological and Temporal Perspectives Research

Does goal relevant episodic future thinking amplify the effect on delay discounting?

Open access

O'Donnell, Sara, Oluyomi Daniel, Tinuke, Epstein, Leonard H.·2017·Consciousness and Cognition

DOI 10.1016/j.concog.2017.02.014PMC PMC5651988

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Delay discounting (DD) is the preference for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards. Research shows episodic future thinking (EFT), or mentally simulating future experiences, reframes the choice between small immediate and larger delayed rewards, and can reduce DD. Only general EFT has been studied, whereby people reframe decisions in terms of non-goal related future events. Since future thinking is often goal-oriented and leads to greater activation of brain regions involved in prospection, goal-oriented EFT may be associated with greater reductions in DD than general goal-unrelated EFT. The present study (n=104, M age=22.25, SD=3.42; 50% Female) used a between-subjects 2×2 factorial design with type of episodic thinking (Goal, General) and temporal perspective (Episodic future versus recent thinking; EFT vs ERT) as between factors. Results showed a significant reduction in DD for EFT groups (p<0.001, Cohen's d effect size=0.89), and goal-EFT was more effective than general-EFT on reducing DD (p=0.03, d=0.64).

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.concog.2017.02.014

Cites

28 of 28 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

When people simulate consuming a larger delayed reward, they become more patient and shift toward favoring the more farsighted choice.
“when people simulate consuming the larger reward, they become more patient and shift to favoring this more farsighted choice (68–70).”
From Episodic Future Thinking: Mechanisms and Functions (2017) · cites this paper as [70]
The Results report that participants prompted to think about future events discounted delayed monetary rewards less, supporting the shift toward the larger, later choice. But the Methods describe imagining future events, not specifically simulating consumption of the larger reward; that part is more specific than this study supports. The indexed passages provide section labels but no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Effects of episodic future thinking on decisions are more pronounced when the simulated event is related to the respective decision.
“such effects of episodic future thinking are more pronounced when the simulated event is related to the respective decision (e.g., imagining the future moment of buying a computer when making monetary choices or of an upcoming meal when being tempted by readily available snacks; 70–71).”
From Episodic Future Thinking: Mechanisms and Functions (2017) · cites this paper as [70]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Muller, K. E., & Cohen, J. (1989) · Technometrics · doi:10.2307/1270020 · Cited by 99,588 · see citing works
Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
Cohen, J. (1990) · Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi:10.1016/0198-9715(90)90050-4 · Cited by 65,406 · see citing works
Untitled work
(2013) · Cited by 44,563 · see citing works
The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.7455683 · Cited by 17,604 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Typical framing enacts behavior change by shifting attention to the gains or losses in a decision making scenario, thereby promoting risk-averse or risk-seeking decisions (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981).”
Background
Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy, White women.
Adler, N. E., Epel, E. S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J. R. (2000) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.19.6.586 · Cited by 3,979 · see citing works
The consideration of future consequences: Weighing immediate and distant outcomes of behavior.
Strathman, A., Gleicher, F., Boninger, D. S., & Edwards, C. S. (1994) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.4.742 · Cited by 1,782 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking
Atance, C. M., & O'Neill, D. K. (2001) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01804-0 · Cited by 1,300 · see citing works
Toward a behavioral economic understanding of drug dependence: delay discounting processes
Bickel, W. K., & Marsch, L. A. (2001) · Addiction · doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.961736.x · Cited by 1,117 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking reduces reward delay discounting through an enhancement of prefrontal–mediotemporal interactions
Peters, J., & Büchel, C. (2010) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.026 · Cited by 871 · cited 8× · see citing works
“…strongly suggests that EFT may be useful for enhancing behavior change (Daniel et al., 2015; Daniel et al., 2013a, 2013b; Lin & Epstein, 2014; Peters & Buchel, 2010) for problems that involve impulsive decision making defined by excessive discounting of the future (Bickel et al., 2012;…”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluential
Excessive discounting of delayed reinforcers as a trans-disease process contributing to addiction and other disease-related vulnerabilities: Emerging evidence
Bickel, W. K., Jarmolowicz, D. P., Mueller, E. T., Koffarnus, M. N., & Gatchalian, K. M. (2012) · Pharmacology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2012.02.004 · Cited by 604 · see citing works
A neural mechanism mediating the impact of episodic prospection on farsighted decisions
Benoit, R. G., Gilbert, S. J., & Burgess, P. W. (2011) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.6559-10.2011 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow: Individual differences in future self-continuity account for saving
Ersner-Hershfield, H., Garton, M., Ballard, K., Samanez-Larkin, G., & Knutson, B. (2009) · Judgment and Decision Making · doi:10.1017/s1930297500003855 · Cited by 410 · see citing works
Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice
Hershfield, H. E. (2011) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06201.x · Cited by 340 · see citing works
Associations between a one-shot delay discounting measure and age, income, education and real-world impulsive behavior
Reimers, S. J., Maylor, E. A., Stewart, N., & Nick Chater, A. (2009) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2009.07.026 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Untitled work
Daniel (2013) · doi:10.1177/0956797613488780 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
Self-citation
Food reinforcement, delay discounting and obesity
Epstein, L. H., Salvy, S. J., Carr, K. A., Dearing, K. K., & Bickel, W. K. (2010) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.04.029 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
Self-citation
Discounting delayed and probabilistic rewards: Processes and traits
Myerson, J., Green, L., Hanson, J. S., Holt, D. D., & Estle, S. J. (2003) · Journal of Economic Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0167-4870(03)00005-9 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Self-reflection and the temporal focus of the wandering mind
Smallwood, J., Schooler, J. W., Turk, D. J., Cunningham, S. J., Burns, P., & Macrae, C. N. (2011) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.12.017 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
The future is now: comparing the effect of episodic future thinking on impulsivity in lean and obese individuals
Daniel, T. O., Stanton, C. M., & Epstein, L. H. (2013) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.07.010 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Self-citation
Effects of Risk and Time Preference and Expected Longevity on Demand for Medical Tests
Picone, G. A., Sloan, F. A., & Taylor, D. H. (2003) · Journal of Risk and Uncertainty · doi:10.1023/b:risk.0000009435.11390.23 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
The Neural Basis of Personal Goal Processing When Envisioning Future Events
D'Argembeau, A., Stawarczyk, D., Majerus, S., Collette, F., Van der Linden, M., Feyers, D., Maquet, P., & Salmon, E. (2010) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2009.21314 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and energy intake in children
Daniel, T. O., Said, M., Stanton, C. M., & Epstein, L. H. (2015) · Eating Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.03.006 · Cited by 192 · see citing works
Self-citation
Untitled work
D’Argembeau (2012) · doi:10.1080/09658211.2011.647697 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Living in the moment: Effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting.
Lin, H., & Epstein, L. H. (2014) · Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.1037/a0035705 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Self-citation
Delay discounting moderates the effect of food reinforcement on energy intake among non-obese women
Rollins, B. Y., Dearing, K. K., & Epstein, L. H. (2010) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2010.07.014 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Self-citation
Toward the Study of Trans-Disease Processes: A Novel Approach With Special Reference to the Study of Co-morbidity
Bickel, W. K., & Mueller, E. T. (2009) · Journal of Dual Diagnosis · doi:10.1080/15504260902869147 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
A theoretical account of cognitive effects in delay discounting
Kurth-Nelson, Z. L., Bickel, W. K., & Redish, A. D. (2012) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08058.x · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Delay discounting and gambling
Madden, G. J., Francisco, M. T., Brewer, A. T., & Stein, J. S. (2011) · Behavioural Processes · doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2011.01.012 · Cited by 62 · see citing works

Flagged first, then by citations

Sorted by citations

Episodic Future Thinking: Mechanisms and Functions
Schacter, D. L., Benoit, R. G., & Szpunar, K. K. (2017) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.06.002 · Cited by 771 · see citing works
Deliberating trade-offs with the future
Bulley, A., & Schacter, D. L. (2020) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-020-0834-9 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
A neurobehavioral approach to addiction: implications for the opioid epidemic and the psychology of addiction
Bechara, A., Berridge, K. C., Bickel, W. K., Morón, J. A., Williams, S. B., & Stein, J. S. (2019) · Psychological Science in the Public Interest · doi:10.1177/1529100619860513 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Prospection and natural selection
Suddendorf, T., Bulley, A., & Miloyan, B. H. (2018) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.01.019 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Cuing both positive and negative episodic foresight reduces delay discounting but does not affect risk-taking
Bulley, A., Miloyan, B. H., Pepper, G. V., Gullo, M. J., Henry, J. D., & Suddendorf, T. (2018) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/1747021818819777 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
A meta-analysis of the effects of episodic future thinking on delay discounting
Ye, J., Ding, Q., Cui, J., Liu, Z., Jia, L., Qin, X., Xu, H., & Wang, Y. (2021) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218211066282 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Changing Delay Discounting and Impulsive Choice: Implications for Addictions, Prevention, and Human Health
Rung, J. M., Peck, S., Hinnenkamp, J. E., Preston, E., & Madden, G. J. (2019) · Perspectives on Behavior Science · doi:10.1007/s40614-019-00200-7 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Setting a goal could help you control: Comparing the effect of health goal versus general episodic future thinking on health behaviors among cigarette smokers and obese individuals.
Athamneh, L. N., Stein, M. D., Lin, E. H., Stein, J. S., Mellis, A. M., Gatchalian, K. M., Epstein, L. H., & Bickel, W. K. (2020) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/pha0000351 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Self-citation
The relationship between delay discounting and Internet addiction: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Cheng, Y., Ko, H., Sun, C., & Yeh, P. (2020) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106751 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking as a brief alcohol intervention for heavy drinking college students: A pilot feasibility study.
Voss, A. T., Jorgensen, M. K., & Murphy, J. G. (2021) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/pha0000451 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Reducing Anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder with Future Event Specificity Training (FEST): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Hallford, D. J., Rusanov, D., Yeow, J. J. E., Austin, D., D’Argembeau, A., Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, M., & Raes, F. (2022) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-022-10330-z · Cited by 48 · see citing works
A systematic review of the impact of future-oriented thinking on academic outcomes
Pawlak, S., & Moustafa, A. A. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1190546 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Bleak present, bright future: II. Combined effects of episodic future thinking and scarcity on delay discounting in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes
Stein, J. S., Craft, W. H., Paluch, R. A., Gatchalian, K. M., Greenawald, M. H., Quattrin, T., Mastrandrea, L. D., Epstein, L. H., & Bickel, W. K. (2020) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-020-00178-7 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Self-citation
Episodic future thinking and grocery shopping online
Hollis‐Hansen, K., Seidman, J. S., O’Donnell, S. E., & Epstein, L. H. (2018) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.10.019 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Self-citation
Improvements in episodic future thinking methodology: Establishing a standardized episodic thinking control
Hollis‐Hansen, K., O’Donnell, S. E., Seidman, J. S., Brande, S. J., & Epstein, L. H. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214397 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citation
Accounting for long-term motivation and sustained motivated learning: Motivational currents, self-concordant vision, and persistence in language learning
Dörnyei, Z., & Henry, A. (2022) · Advances in motivation science · doi:10.1016/bs.adms.2021.12.003 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Mix and Match: An Investigation into Whether Episodic Future Thinking Cues Need to Match Discounting Delays in Order to Be Effective
O’Donnell, S. E., Hollis‐Hansen, K., & Epstein, L. H. (2018) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs9010001 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Self-citation
Imagining emotional events benefits future-oriented decisions
Ballance, B. C., Tuen, Y. J., Petrucci, A. S., Orwig, W., Safi, O. K., Madan, C. R., & Palombo, D. J. (2022) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218221086637 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Putting prospection into practice: Methodological considerations in the use of episodic future thinking to reduce delay discounting and maladaptive health behaviors
Brown, J. M., & Stein, J. S. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1020171 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Episodic Future Thinking as a Promising Intervention for Substance Use Disorders: a Reinforcer Pathology Perspective
Bickel, W. K., Lemos, R. F., Myslowski, J., Quddos, F., Fontes, R. M., Barbosa-França, B., Faubion-Trejo, R., & LaConte, S. M. (2023) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-023-00498-z · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Can episodic future thinking affect food choices?
Segovia, M. S., Palma, M. A., & Nayga, R. M. (2020) · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2020.06.019 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The effects of cueing episodic future thinking on delay discounting in children, adolescents, and adults
Burns, P., Atance, C. M., O'Connor, P. A., & McCormack, T. (2021) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104934 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Evaluating effects of episodic future thinking on valuation of delayed reward in cocaine use disorder: a pilot study
Förster, S., Steinhauer, S. R., Ortiz, A., & Forman, S. D. (2021) · The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse · doi:10.1080/00952990.2020.1865997 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Does Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage Really Increase Impulsiveness? Delay and Probability Discounting in Patients with Focal Lesions
Mok, J., Green, L., Myerson, J., Kwan, D. T., Kurczek, J., Ciaramelli, E., Craver, C. F., & Rosenbaum, R. S. (2021) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01721 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Imagining Events Alternative to the Present Can Attenuate Delay Discounting
Ciaramelli, E., Sellitto, M., Tosarelli, G., & di Pellegrino, G. (2019) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00269 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Memory as Prediction
Vecchi, T., & Gatti, D. (2020) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/13543.001.0001 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
情景预见对跨期决策的影响机制
Panpan, W. A. N. G., & He, J. (2019) · Acta Psychologica Sinica · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1041.2020.00038 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Time hacking: how technologies mediate time
Nagy, P., Eschrich, J., & Finn, E. (2020) · Information Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2020.1758743 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Functions of spontaneous and voluntary future thinking: evidence from subjective ratings
Duffy, J., & Cole, S. N. (2020) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-020-01338-9 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
How did I do it then? How will I do it later? A theoretical review of the impact of mental time travel on decision-making processes
Tasdemir-Ozdes, A. (2021) · New Ideas in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2021.100869 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Do process simulations during episodic future thinking enhance the reduction of delay discounting for middle income participants and those living in poverty?
O’Donnell, S. E., Daniel, T. O., Koroschetz, J., KILANOWSKI, C. K., Otminski, A., Bickel, W. K., & Epstein, L. H. (2018) · Journal of Behavioral Decision Making · doi:10.1002/bdm.2108 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citation
Learning from museums: Resource scarcity in museum interpretations and sustainable consumption intention
Xue, X., Li, Y., Liu, S., & Liu, M.-Y. (2025) · Annals of Tourism Research · doi:10.1016/j.annals.2025.103955 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Envisaging Mitigation Action Can Induce Lower Discounting toward Future Environmental Gains and Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior
Ho, L., Sung, Y., Wu, C.-C., Lee, P.-S., & Chiou, W. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12219289 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking improves intertemporal choice and food choice in individuals with higher weight: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Colton, E., Connors, M., Mahlberg, J., & Verdejo-García, A. (2024) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.13801 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Mindfulness-Informed Guided Imagery to Target Physical Activity: A Mixed Method Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study
Mitchell, A. D., Martin, L. E., Baldwin, A. S., & Levens, S. M. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742989 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Effects of past and future autobiographical thinking on the working self-concept
D’Argembeau, A., & Jimenez, C. G. (2023) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658211.2023.2269324 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Primed for Health: Future Thinking Priming Decreases Delay Discounting
Shevorykin, A., Pittman, J. C., Bickel, W. K., O’Connor, R. J., Malhotra, R., Prashad, N., & Sheffer, C. E. (2019) · Health Behavior and Policy Review · doi:10.14485/hbpr.6.4.5 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Visual perspective as a two-dimensional construct in episodic future thought
Kinley, I., Porteous, M., Levy, Y., & Becker, S. (2021) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2021.103148 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
The effect of episodic foresight on intertemporal decision-making: the role of future self-continuity and perceived control
Sun, H.-Y., JIANG, Y., Wang, X., Cui, L., & Sun, H.-M. (2023) · Cognitive Processing · doi:10.1007/s10339-023-01124-6 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Imagining the future can shape the present: A systematic review of the impact of episodic future thinking on substance use outcomes.
Collado, A., & Stokes, A. B. (2023) · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1037/adb0000933 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Emotion matters: The influence of valence on episodic future thinking in young and older adults
Acevedo-Molina, M. C., Novak, A. W., Gregoire, L. M., Mann, L. G., Andrews‐Hanna, J. R., & Grilli, M. D. (2020) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2020.103023 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Future-oriented motivation impacts intertemporal choice: The modulation of trait self-control
Yin, H., Wang, M., Chen, C., & Suo, T. (2022) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2022.111762 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
A Story to Tell: The Role of Narratives in Reducing Delay Discounting for People Who Strongly Discount the Future
Epstein, L. H., Jimenez-Knight, T., Honan, A. M., Biondolillo, M. J., Paluch, R. A., & Bickel, W. K. (2021) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658211.2021.1936560 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citation
An adaptive function of mental time travel: Motivating farsighted decisions
Benoit, R. G., Berkers, R. M. W. J., & Paulus, P. C. (2018) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x1700125x · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Compromised future thinking: another cognitive cost of temporal lobe epilepsy
Rayner, G., Antoniou, M., Jackson, G. D., & Tailby, C. (2022) · Brain Communications · doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcac062 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
The relationship between performance appraisal interval and employees’ proactive working behavior – analysis based on time-gain effect and time-loss effect
Yang, J., Jun, M., & Li, L. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1213547 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Reduced calibration between subjective and objective measures of episodic future thinking in alcohol use disorder
Noël, X., Saeremans, M., Kornreich, C., Chatard, A., Jaafari, N., & D’Argembeau, A. (2022) · Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/acer.14763 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Does enhancing the vividness in connection with the future self increase savings behavior? A field experiment
Kausel, E. E., Reyes, T. H., Larach, F., Chacon, A., & Enei, G. (2024) · Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics · doi:10.1016/j.socec.2024.102204 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Memory as a foundation for approach and avoidance decisions: A fertile area for research
Sklenar, A. M., & Leshikar, E. D. (2024) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-024-01588-7 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Future Me, a Prospection-Based Chatbot to Promote Mental Well-Being in Youth: Two Exploratory User Experience Studies
Dechant, M., Lash, E., Shokr, S., & O’Driscoll, C. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/74411 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Written or drawn episodic future thinking cues improves delay discounting in adults
Carr, K. A., Hollis‐Hansen, K., Austin, K. L., & Epstein, L. H. (2021) · Learning and Motivation · doi:10.1016/j.lmot.2021.101727 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citation
The effects of emotional valence and perceived life stress on recalling personal experiences and envisioning future events.
Lalla, A., & Sheldon, S. (2021) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0001050 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Translating episodic future thinking manipulations for clinical use: Development of a clinical control
Rung, J. M., & Epstein, L. H. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237435 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citation
A fragile effect: The influence of episodic memory on delay discounting
Duff, N., Olsen, R. A., Walsh, Z., Salmon, K., Hunt, M. J., & Macaskill, A. C. (2024) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218241239289 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Perceptions and effectiveness of episodic future thinking as digital micro-interventions based on mobile health technology
Persson, D. R., Bardram, J. E., & Bækgaard, P. (2024) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076241245583 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Imagination and Self-Referential Thinking
D'Argembeau, A. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108580298.022 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Narrative episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and enhances goal salience in the general population: an online feasibility study
Boucher, C., Skinner, T. C., & Chan, C. K. Y. (2025) · Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1080/21642850.2025.2531948 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Back to the future: self-defining memory recall amplifies effects of episodic future thinking on delay discounting
Biondolillo, M. J., Curry, D. C., Savar, K., & Epstein, L. H. (2023) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-023-10025-2 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citation
How people imagine the future: The effect of episodic future thinking on individual's psychology and behavior
Leian, L. U., Wang, C., & Ren, J. (2021) · Advances in Psychological Science · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1042.2021.01086 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Changes in adaptation to time horizons across development.
Zhuang, W., Niebaum, J. C., & Munakata, Y. (2023) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/dev0001529 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
A negativity bias in detail generation during event simulation.
Puig, V. A., Özbek, M., & Szpunar, K. K. (2019) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000647 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Development and validation of Intertemporal Decision-Making Ability Scale for early adolescents
Wang, D., Liu, Y., Zong, T., Lu, Z., Mao, W., Miao, L., & Hu, Y. (2024) · Australian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00049530.2024.2401034 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Prediction of delay discounting in intertemporal decisions by future thinking: Accounting for fluency, contents, and functions of future thoughts
Eivazi, F., Hatami, J., Moradi, A., & Nazem‐Zadeh, M. (2022) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.2764 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Mediation by Executive Functions in the Associations Between Perceived Stress, Prenatal Distress, Emotional Control, and Dietary Intake in Overweight or Obese Pregnant Women
Chang, M., Tan, A., Schaffir, J., & Wegener, D. T. (2022) · Journal of Pediatrics Perinatology and Child Health · doi:10.26502/jppch.74050131 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Episodic Future Thinking as Digital Micro-interventions
Persson, D. R., Yoo, S., Bardram, J. E., Skinner, T. C., & Bækgaard, P. (2023) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-48038-6_14 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Episodic Future Thinking Only Reduces Delay Discounting When Future Events Involve the Self
Olsen, R. A., Macaskill, A. C., & Hunt, M. J. (2024) · Journal of Behavioral Decision Making · doi:10.1002/bdm.2397 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Is future self‐relevance necessary to increase saving for retirement? A replication study
Stockdale, E., & Sanders, M. (2020) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/jasp.12673 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking modulates delay discounting in individuals with problematic substance use: a narrative review
Chen, X., Wang, H., & Fan, C. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1760734 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Social trust and the discounting of gains and losses in prolonged grief
Maccallum, F., & Bonanno, G. A. (2022) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.002 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
A Pilot Goal-Oriented Episodic Future Thinking Weight Loss Intervention for Low-Income Overweight or Obese Young Mothers
Chang, M., Tan, A., Wegener, D. T., & Lee, R. E. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15133023 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The Effect of Episodic Future Thinking on Learning Intention: Focusing on English Learning Goal‐Relevant Future Thinking in University Students
Asayama, A., Nagamine, M., Kainuma, R., Tang, L., Miwa, S., & Toyama, M. (2024) · Japanese Psychological Research · doi:10.1111/jpr.12496 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Episodic Future Thinking Reduces Delay Discounting of Gains and Losses: The Role of Regulatory Focus
Tang, L., & Toyama, M. (2024) · Japanese Psychological Research · doi:10.1111/jpr.12502 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Episodic future thinking, memory, and decision-making
Bulley, A., & Schacter, D. L. (2023) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780192849069.003.0006 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Commentary: Episodic Future Thinking about the Ideal Self Induces Lower Discounting, Leading to a Decreased Tendency toward Cheating
Sellitto, M. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01027 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Latent Heterogeneity in the Impact of Financial Coaching on Delay Discounting among Low-Income Smokers: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Rogers, E., Vargas, E. A., Wysota, C. N., & Sherman, S. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19052736 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
The effect of episodic future thinking on delay discounting
Olsen, R. A. (2020) · doi:10.26686/wgtn.17145569.v1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Belief in future occurrence modulates the effect of episodic future thinking on delay discountingPreprint
Jimenez, C. G., Rifon, L., Mazzoni, G. A. L., & D’Argembeau, A. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/h8w35 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Detecting Temporal Cognition in Text: Comparison of Judgements by Self, Expert and Machine
Walsh, E., & Grant, J. B. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02037 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
远离“诱惑”：预先承诺对跨期决策的调控机制及其神经基础
Zhenhua, L. I., Dou, K., & Nie, Y. (2018) · Advances in Psychological Science · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1042.2018.01869 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The perceived controllability of negatively-valenced episodic future thinking modulates delay discounting
Fan, C., Xiwen, C., Sun, J., & Luo, W. (2024) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2024.2370463 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Free Imagination
9780198901198, & Tse, P. U. (2024) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.001.0001 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Does declining income caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affect Chinese individuals’ future risky decision-making and intertemporal choices? A construal level perspective
Hua, Y., & Mi, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1584337 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
How daily alternative behaviors’ expected value shapes problematic smartphone use? An ecological momentary assessment study
Qi, H., Li, J., Wang, J., Li, M., Chen, X., & Luo, Y. (2025) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108536 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Written or drawn episodic future thinking cues improves delay discounting in children
Carr, K. A., & Epstein, L. H. (2026) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2026.106491 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation
Does future-oriented imagery rescripting increase willingness to carry out a social anxiety-related behavioral experiment? An extended replication
Endhoven, B., Landkroon, E., Planjer, S. T., Meyerbröker, K., Salemink, E., & Engelhard, I. M. (2026) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2026.102124 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Discriminating the concepts of goal and its influence on decision-making
He, J., & Jin, L. (2021) · Advances in Psychological Science · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1042.2021.01410 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
How does massive information affect intertemporal choice? A theoretical perspective based on attentional resources
Aimei, L. I., Che, J., Liu, N., Sun, H., & Zhou, W. (2021) · Advances in Psychological Science · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1042.2021.01521 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Is episodic future thinking effective in mitigating the influence of time preference in time trade-off?
Lang, Z., Zhang, L., Lipman, S. A., Sugden, B. M., Rand, K., & Attema, A. E. (2025) · The European Journal of Health Economics · doi:10.1007/s10198-025-01812-4 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flexible coding schemes in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex underlie decision-making during delay discountingPreprint
White, S., Morningstar, M. D., Falco, E. D., Linsenbardt, D. N., Ma, B., Parks, M. A., Czachowski, C. L., & Lapish, C. C. (2023) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2023.06.15.545101 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Future Me: Promoting a future-oriented outlook through conversation with our future self.Preprint
Lash, E., Dechant, M., & O’Driscoll, C. (2024) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/eh62p · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Training cognitive control
Dassen (2018) · doi:10.26481/dis.20180711fd
Under what circumstances does autobiographical memory enhance self-control?
Duff, N. (2020) · doi:10.26686/wgtn.17147285
Effects of Observation of Different Health Behaviors on Surrogate Delay Discounting
Higginbotham, R., & Dallery, J. (2024) · The Psychological Record · doi:10.1007/s40732-024-00613-0
The Birth of Our Free Imagination
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.003.0002
Introduction
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.003.0001
Copyright Page
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.002.0003
Dedication
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.002.0004
The Birth of Good and Evil in Our Free Imaginations
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.003.0003
Epigraph
Tse, P. U. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198901181.002.0005
My Future in Focus: Exploration of Students' Perceptions and Experiences using the Prototype Future Me’ - a Prospection-Based Chatbot ‘Promoting Mental Well-being (Preprint)Preprint
Dechant, M., Lash, E., Shokr, S., & O’Driscoll, C. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.74411

A meta-analysis of the effects of episodic future thinking on delay discounting
Ye, J., Ding, Q., Cui, J., Liu, Z., Jia, L., Qin, X., Xu, H., & Wang, Y. (2021) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218211066282 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
The effect of episodic future thinking on delay discounting
Olsen, R. A. (2020) · doi:10.26686/wgtn.17145569.v1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Mix and Match: An Investigation into Whether Episodic Future Thinking Cues Need to Match Discounting Delays in Order to Be Effective
O’Donnell, S. E., Hollis‐Hansen, K., & Epstein, L. H. (2018) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs9010001 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Self-citation
A fragile effect: The influence of episodic memory on delay discounting
Duff, N., Olsen, R. A., Walsh, Z., Salmon, K., Hunt, M. J., & Macaskill, A. C. (2024) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218241239289 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The effect of episodic future thinking on delay discounting（1）：
Tang, L., Shiki, T., & Toyama, M. (2022) · The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association · doi:10.4992/pacjpa.86.0_1am-059-pm

Authors: O'Donnell, S., Oluyomi Daniel, T., & Epstein, L. H.
Affiliations: University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
Corresponding author: Epstein, Leonard H.
ORCID: Epstein, Leonard H.
Venue: Consciousness and Cognition
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2017-05
Volume: 51
Pages: 10-16
ISSN: 1053-8100 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.02.014
PMC: PMC5651988
OpenAlex: W2594806801
Cited by: 111
References: 28
Citations by year: 2026: 11 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 1
FWCI: 7.29
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
europepmc.org
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Consciousness and Cognition (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD080292)
Topics: Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research
Keywords: delay discounting, episodic future thinking, goal-oriented thinking, time perspective, mental simulation, prospection, decision-making
MeSH terms: Adult, Female, Goals, Humans, Male, Reward, Thinking, Young Adult, Delay Discounting

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Does goal relevant episodic future thinking amplify the effect on delay discounting?

Abstract

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Self-check

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks