Effects of Choice Bundling on Valuation of Delayed Gains and Losses in Cigarette Smokers

NCT05110716 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 20-8275P01CA217806
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 308
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The present study will investigate the effects of choice bundling, in which a single choice produces a series of repeating consequences, on valuation of delayed monetary gains and losses in an online panel of cigarette smokers.

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking

Keywords

Behavior; Smoking; Cigarette; Tobacco; Delay discounting; Intertemporal choice

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Indifference points

  Participants complete three conditions of the adjusting-amount task (one at each bundle size), in which they choose between a larger, delayed amount ($900) and a smaller, immediate amount. Across trials, the smaller amount titrates until reaching an indifference point. This indifference point provides an index of the value of the larger option. For example, an indifference point of $300 indicates the larger, delayed amount as been discounted by two thirds. Higher values reflect less delay discounting.

  1 day (same session)

Study Arms (4)

Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in an ascending order of bundle size.

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary gains in a descending order of bundle size.

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete the choice bundling adjusting-amount task for monetary losses in an ascending order of bundle size.

Behavioral: Bundle-size 1; Behavioral: Bundle-size 3; Behavioral: Bundle-size 9

Interventions

Bundle-size 1 BEHAVIORAL

In this condition, each choice in the adjusting-amount task produces only a single consequence (e.g., lose $900 in 1 year).

Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order

Bundle-size 3 BEHAVIORAL

In this condition, each choice in the adjusting-amount task produce a series of three consequences over time. o hold total amount constant across conditions, the $900 available in the bundle-size 1 condition will be distributed equally across all consequences in the series. (e.g., lose $300 in 1 year, lose $300 in 2 years, lose $300 in 3 years).

Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order

Bundle-size 9 BEHAVIORAL

In this condition, each choice in the adjusting-amount task produce a series of nine consequences over time. To hold total amount constant across conditions, the $900 available in the bundle-size 1 condition will be distributed equally across all consequences in the series. (e.g., lose $100 in 1 year, lose $100 in 2 years, lose $100 in 3 years...lose $100 in 9 years).

Gains, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Gains, Descending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Ascending Bundle-Size Order; Losses, Descending Bundle-Size Order

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• currently smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day
• have smoked at least 100 cigarettes (lifetime), and
• are 21 years of age or older.

You may not qualify if:

• Inaccurate identification of usual brand cigarette's as menthol or non-menthol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: lead
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): collaborator
• University of Minnesota: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking; Behavior; Smoking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tobacco Smoking; Tobacco Use

Study Officials

• Warren K Bickel, PhD

  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Data collection and randomization to groups was performed online without the investigators' direct involvement
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Participants are randomly assigned to either a gains or losses group and subsequently complete conditions at bundle-sizes 1, 3, and 9 (within-subjects, order counterbalanced).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 11, 2021
• First Posted: November 8, 2021
• Study Start: July 26, 2021
• Primary Completion: August 12, 2021
• Study Completion: August 12, 2021
• Last Updated: January 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: Data will become available immediately upon publication of the manuscript and will remain available for 5 years.

Locations

US (1)