Time preference under cognitive load - An experimental study

The current study tests experimentally the effect of cognitive load on impulsive behavior with uncertainty choices as the time preference. Participants were 189 students, randomly assigned to two cognitive load groups (low and high), and a control group with no cognitive load manipulation. Under cognitive load participants were asked to answer a questionnaire with several time delay scenarios and participate in an impulsive behavior task. The results show that under a high cognitive load, participants are more impulsive and more present oriented than under a low cognitive load. Impulsive behavior did not mediate the two measures. Some possible explanations are discussed.