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

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cigarette Smoking

Treatments: Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05110716

20-827

5P01CA217806 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 308 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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.

Exclusion criteria

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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308 participants in 4 patient groups

Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in an ascending order of bundle size.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bundle-size 3

Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1

Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in a descending order of bundle size.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bundle-size 3

Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1

Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bundle-size 3

Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1

Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bundle-size 3

Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1