Intertemporal decision-making that involves choosing between smaller rewards available sooner and larger rewards that come later provides a window into impulsivity and self-control. Although considerable research has focused on how people make these choices for themselves, there is limited understanding of how these decisions change when made for others. Previous results are inconsistent, suggesting unexamined moderating factors and possible attentional mechanisms. This study investigated how intertemporal decisions differ when made for oneself versus for another person, and whether trait variables such as empathy, construal level, and sense of power moderate these differences. Further, using eye-tracking, we examined whether attention allocation to reward versus delay attributes contributes to choice behaviour.
Thirty-five participants completed an intertemporal monetary choice task under two conditions: making choices for themselves and for an imagined acquaintance. Eye movements were recorded using EyeLink 1000 Plus, and participants also completed psychometric measures of trait empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), personal sense of power, and construal level (Behavior Identification Form). Delay discount rates were estimated using Bayesian modelling of the choice data.
Self-other differences in delay discounting were moderated by empathy and power. Lower fantasy scores predicted reduced impulsivity when deciding for others (B=.07,p<.05), whereas higher empathic concern promoted less impulsive choices for both self and other (B=-.15,p<.01). A stronger personal sense of power was associated with reduced discounting overall (B=-.12,p<.001), and specifically biased attention toward reward attributes when deciding for others (B=.51,p<.01), which in turn predicted decreased discounting (B=.13,p<.05). Construal level showed no significant moderating effects.
Findings highlight that surrogate intertemporal decisions are shaped by stable traits of the decision maker as well as differential allocation of attention to decision attributes. Empathy and power uniquely influence how individuals value future outcomes when choosing for others. The study has implications for contexts where people routinely make consequential decisions on others' behalf.