Typical assessments of temporal discounting involve presenting choices between hypothetical monetary outcomes. Participants choose between smaller immediate rewards and larger delayed rewards to determine how the passage of time affects the subjective value of reinforcement. Few studies, however, have compared such discounting to actual…

Two studies involving college students examined mechanisms responsible for observed self-reinforcement effects. Results seemed to support the view that self-reinforcement procedures work by setting a socially available standard against which performance can be evaluated. (CL)