Future Thinking Specificity, Delay Discounting and the Mediating Role of Working Memory in Addiction
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2018-06-28
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en
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Addiction comes with a high risk for relapse. To prevent relapse, future events must be imagined in a specific way, in order to choose appropriate problem-solving strategies. The ability to make specific future projections is called future thinking specificity (FTS). FTS and factors influencing FTS remain understudied in addiction. Working memory capacity, which is negatively affected by addiction, is such a potential factor. Moreover, it remains understudied, whether the tendencies to discount delayed rewards (called delay discounting) is influenced by FTS abilities. The purpose of this study was (1) to compare FTS between participants with and without addiction, (2) to investigate the role of working memory as mediator between addiction and FTS and (3) to investigate the role of FTS as mediator between addiction and delay discounting. Abstinent inpatients with an addiction (n = 20) and a control group (n = 88) completed a FTS test, a working memory test and a delay discounting test. Against our hypothesis, addicts showed significantly higher FTS levels than controls. No mediating role of working memory was found. Furthermore, addiction predicted higher delay discounting. FTS was not a mediator in this relation. However, results of FTS seemed to be influenced by problems during the data-collection. Nevertheless, the underlying ideas of this study remain relevant for future research. Furthermore, we present advice on how to improve the methodological implementation. Finally, our results confirm the existence of a relation between addiction and delay discounting and confirm that treatment should focus on the reduction of delay discounting, in order to prevent relapse.
Keywords: addiction, future thinking, working memory, delay discounting, mediation
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen