Comparing Rates of Probability Discounting Using Paper-Pencil or Online Versions of the Fill-in-the-Blank or Multiple-Choice Methods of Data Collection

The present study was an attempt to determine whether rates of probability discounting would vary as a function of the type of data-collection method, mode of task administration, type of data analysis, and/or type of outcome being discounted. Some of the 650 participants completed the task using the fill-in-the-blank method (FITB) while others completed it using a version of the multiple-choice (MC) method. Some participants completed the task in paper-pencil format and others did so online. All participants discounted seven different outcomes, and the data were analyzed using a hyperbolic equation and a hyperbolic-like equation, and by calculating the area under the discounting curve. Steeper rates of probability discounting were observed for the FITB than the MC method and for participants who completed the task online than in paper-pencil format. The different methods of analyzing the data sometimes led to different conclusions. Lastly, different rates of probability discounting were observed across the different outcomes being discounting. Implications and recommendations for researchers who study probability discounting are discussed.