Social discounting refers to the finding that subjective reward value decreases as a function of the number of people with whom one shares a reward or social distance between the participant and the person with whom they are sharing the money. Just like delay discounting gives an indication of the construct of self-control or impulsivity, social discounting can be construed as a measure of generosity (altruism) or selfishness. This paper reviews recent basic research on social discounting to illustrate the general procedure used for assessing social discounting and to summarize key findings related to cultural difference and economic game theory. Furthermore, this paper also investigates potential connections between three types of discounting (delay, probability, and social). Finally, future directions for the study of social discounting are discussed.

特集 : 坂上貴之教授 退職記念号#寄稿論文