This indifference point serves as an estimation of the subjective value of the LLR after some delay. The point at which an individual switches from choosing the LLR to the SSR is commonly termed the indifference point. Typically, hypothetical monetary choice paradigms feature a titrating series of choices between smaller sooner rewards (SSRs) and a larger later reward (LLR).

The commonly used procedure for studying discounting is the administration of a series of hypothetical monetary choice trials (see Critchfield & Kollins, 2001 Madden & Johnson, 2010).

This behavioral interpretation of impulsivity has led to numerous advances in clinical issues such as increasing tolerance to reinforcement delay in individuals with acquired brain injury or autism ( Dixon & Cummings, 2001 Dixon & Falcomata, 2004), as well as in the general assessment of impulsivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD Hoerger & Mace, 2006 Neef et al., 2005), serious emotional disturbance (e.g., Neef, Mace, & Shade, 1993), and severe problem behaviors (e.g., Vollmer, Borrero, Lalli, & Daniel, 1999). For instance, behavior analysts have come to define a form of impulsivity as preference for a smaller sooner reward, despite a larger delayed alternative being available (see Schweitzer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1988). Specifically, this operationalization of decision making is translated easily to issues concerning impulsivity and self-control. Analyses of delay discounting (the process by which delayed rewards have lower subjective values than sooner rewards of the same magnitude) have become increasingly popular due to their ability to allow researchers to investigate the temporal properties of reward for socially important problems (see Critchfield & Kollins, 2001 Madden & Bickel, 2010). The goal of this technical article is to present researchers with a tutorial on how to conduct both nonlinear regression and area under the curve (AUC) estimations using Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and Excel for Mac 2011 (hereafter referred to simply as Excel) to analyze delay-discounting data.

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