Effects of Choice Bundling on Valuation of Delayed Gains and Losses in Cigarette Smokers

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Cigarette Smoking
• Interventions: Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

• Registration Number: NCT05110716
• Lead Sponsor: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Brief Summary

The present study will investigate the effects of choice bundling, in which a single choice produces a series of repeating consequences, on valuation of delayed monetary gains and losses in an online panel of cigarette smokers.

Detailed Description

Choice bundling, in which a single choice produces a series of repeating consequences, has been shown to increase valuation of delayed monetary and non-monetary gains. Interventions derived from this manipulation may be an effective method for mitigating the elevated delay discounting rates observed in cigarette smokers. No prior work, however, has investigated whether effects of choice bundling generalize to reward losses. In the present study, an online panel of cigarette smokers, recruited using Ipsos, will complete assessments for either monetary gains or losses (randomly assigned). In Step 1, participants will complete a delay-discounting task to establish Effective Delay 50 (ED50), or the delay required for a monetary outcome to lose half of its value. In Step 2, participants will complete three conditions of an adjusting-amount task, choosing between a smaller, sooner (SS) adjusting amount and a larger, later (LL) fixed amount. The bundle size (i.e., number of consequences) will be manipulated across conditions, where a single choice will produce either 1 (control), 3, or 9 consequences over time (ascending/descending order counterbalanced). The delay to the first LL amount in each condition, as well as the intervals between all additional SS and LL amounts (where applicable), will be set to individual participants' ED50 values from Step 1 to control for differences in discounting of gains and losses.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-07-26
• Primary Completion: 2021-08-12
• Study Completion: 2021-08-12
• Status Verified: 2021-10
• Study First Submitted: 2021-10-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-10-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-10-26
• Study First Posted: 2021-11-08
• Last Update Posted: 2021-11-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 308

Inclusion Criteria

• currently smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day
• have smoked at least 100 cigarettes (lifetime), and
• are 21 years of age or older.

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Exclusion Criteria

• Inaccurate identification of usual brand cigarette's as menthol or non-menthol

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 1	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in an ascending order of bundle size.
Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 3	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in an ascending order of bundle size.
Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 9	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in a descending order of bundle size.
Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 3	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.
Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 3	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.
Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 1	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in a descending order of bundle size.
Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 3	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in a descending order of bundle size.
Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 1	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.
Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 9	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.
Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 1	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.
Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 9	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in an ascending order of bundle size.
Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order	Bundle-size 9	Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Indifference points	1 day (same session)	Participants complete three conditions of the adjusting-amount task (one at each bundle size), in which they choose between a larger, delayed amount ($900) and a smaller, immediate amount. Across trials, the smaller amount titrates until reaching an indifference point. This indifference point provides an index of the value of the larger option. For example, an indifference point of $300 indicates the larger, delayed amount as been discounted by two thirds. Higher values reflect less delay discounting.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC; 🇺🇸 Roanoke, Virginia, United States