Many substance use disorders (SUDs), are characterized by a heightened preference for immediate over larger, delayed rewards (?delay discounting?). Research has successfully related this type of decision-making bias with etiological factors, and with the progression and possibly cessation of SUDs, and has begun to identify its neural and genetic correlates. Despite this success, there has been relatively little research on biases in individual decision-making using reward costs other than delay. One potentially important cost is cognitive effort (CE), which can be defined as the amount to which executive functions must be engaged to earn rewards. Thus, the overall aim of this application is to develop a methodology that can be used to assess cognitive effort (CE) discounting in the lab, a necessary first step towards assessing whether training to enhance willingness to exert CE could assist individuals to adhere to cessation treatment protocols, despite the discomfort associated with behavior change and overcoming withdrawal. Specifically, this project will assess the construct validity of an attentional CE discounting task in cigarette smokers by correlating performance with a second CE discounting task in which CE is memory load. Construct validity will also be assessed by correlating behavior on the CE discounting tasks with responses on self-report questionnaires assessing constructs associated with willingness to work, apathy and procrastination. Predictive validity will be assessed by correlating task performance with behavior in a reinforced abstinence protocol. We hypothesize that individuals who are more affected by the CE requirements will abstain for a shorter period. This relationship will be enhanced for individuals for whom self-control has been reduced using an ego- depletion technique. Finally reliability will be assessed by comparing measures made at the beginning of the session with ones made at the end of the 3-h session, and ones made 7 days later. Having reliable and validated tools is a prerequisite for evaluating putative behavioral and pharmacological manipulations to increase willingness to engage in effortful behavior change. Evaluating the efficacy of such manipulations is important to facilitate treatment for substance use disorder and other psychopathologies, because the lack of willingness to perform cognitive effort has, at least anecdotally, been linked to a resistance to initiate treatment and failure to remain in treatment protocols.
An individual's lack of willingness to perform cognitive effort has, at least anecdotally, been linked to a resistance to initiate treatment and a failure to remain in treatment protocols. Developing behavioral and pharmacological manipulations to increase this willingness may facilitate treatment for substance use disorders and other psychopathologies. The proposed research will develop tools that can be used to assess an individual's willingness to perform cognitive effort, which is a prerequisite for evaluating behavioral and pharmacological manipulations to increase this willingness.
