Associations Between Anxiety and Decisions About Negative Consequences
Faculty Mentor
Jeremy M. Haynes
Location
Russell Union Ballroom
Type of Research
On-going
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Previous research suggests that anxiety is associated with impulsive decision-making. A common measure of impulsive decision-making is delay discounting which conceptualizes the tendency for people to prefer more immediate outcomes over more delayed outcomes. The tendency to choose more immediate outcomes is described as impulsivity, and the tendency to wait for more distant outcomes is referred to as self-control. Most prior research on anxiety using delay discounting has focused on discounting of gains; however, it has been shown that people with anxiety are more sensitive to negative consequences (e.g., losses). The current study sought to fill that gap by assessing the relation between a person’s discounting of losses and their self-reported anxiety. We recruited participants via advertisements and online participant-recruitment software (SONA) from Georgia Southern University. The delay discounting tasks asked participants to choose between an immediate smaller loss or a later larger loss, across two different magnitudes. After the delay discounting tasks, participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Intolerance of Uncertainty scales as measures of anxiety. We will examine associations between measures of delay discounting and scores from the GAD-7 and intolerance of uncertainty scale. Results will be discussed in the context of how people with higher levels of anxiety respond to losses that are more immediate versus those that are more delayed.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 2:00 PM
End Date
4-23-2026 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Arya C. and Kittles, Levi, "Associations Between Anxiety and Decisions About Negative Consequences" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 192.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/192
Associations Between Anxiety and Decisions About Negative Consequences
Russell Union Ballroom
Previous research suggests that anxiety is associated with impulsive decision-making. A common measure of impulsive decision-making is delay discounting which conceptualizes the tendency for people to prefer more immediate outcomes over more delayed outcomes. The tendency to choose more immediate outcomes is described as impulsivity, and the tendency to wait for more distant outcomes is referred to as self-control. Most prior research on anxiety using delay discounting has focused on discounting of gains; however, it has been shown that people with anxiety are more sensitive to negative consequences (e.g., losses). The current study sought to fill that gap by assessing the relation between a person’s discounting of losses and their self-reported anxiety. We recruited participants via advertisements and online participant-recruitment software (SONA) from Georgia Southern University. The delay discounting tasks asked participants to choose between an immediate smaller loss or a later larger loss, across two different magnitudes. After the delay discounting tasks, participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Intolerance of Uncertainty scales as measures of anxiety. We will examine associations between measures of delay discounting and scores from the GAD-7 and intolerance of uncertainty scale. Results will be discussed in the context of how people with higher levels of anxiety respond to losses that are more immediate versus those that are more delayed.
