Delay of Reward
For human and non-human test subject alike a delayed reward is worth less than an immediate reward. This discounting can be so extreme that a small immediate reward may be worth more than a larger delayed reward. The WiltonLogic pits pairs of choice against each other. In the example, the test subject has to choose between one coin (worth 20 points) delivered almost immediately, and five coins (worth 100 points) delivered after a delay of about 40 seconds. When the choice is made the display begins to rotate until the interval has elapsed, and the correct number of coins are shown (here one, in the window on the right). After each choice there is another interval before the next choice can be made. This interval is carefully adjusted so it is not possible to earn more reward by consistently choosing the small, immediate reward.
