The Relationship Between Reward and Effort  Discounting: Demographic Correlates Among Iranian University Students

Vazifedoostkhalaj, Razie; Dortaj, Fariborz; Sadipour, Esmaeil; Vahabie, Abdol-Hossein

doi:10.22059/japr.2026.404902.645392

The Relationship Between Reward and Effort Discounting: Demographic Correlates Among Iranian University Students

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Razie Vazifedoostkhalaj ¹

Fariborz Dortaj ¹

Esmaeil Sadipour ¹

Abdol-Hossein Vahabie ²

¹ Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

² School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/japr.2026.404902.645392

Abstract

Aim: This study examined reward and effort discounting within a unified framework and explored their links with demographic variables such as age, gender, education, and marital status.
Methods: Using a descriptive–correlational design, 61 public-university students (53 females, 8 males) were recruited through convenience sampling in 1403-1404. Two computerized tasks were administered: a Rating Task, designed to estimate the subjective value of reward items and the subjective cost of effort items, and an Intertemporal Choice Task, which assessed discounting rates through hypothetical choices between “smaller-sooner” and “larger-later” options. Data were modeled hyperbolically; k served as the discounting index. Analyses were performed in R 4.5.0.
Results: The findings indicated that the correlation between reward and effort discounting rates was small and statistically non-significant (P=0/974, r=-0/004). No significant relationships were found between age, educational level, or marital status and these discounting rates (P > 0/05). In contrast, while no gender differences were observed in reward discounting, males showed higher effort discounting than females (P = 0/006).
Conclusion: Reward and effort discounting appear relatively independent. Demographic effects were minimal, suggesting that intertemporal preferences depend more on context than on stable traits.

Keywords

Reward Discounting

Effort Discounting

Demographic Variables

University Students