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We recruited 118 university student participants from Beijing to examine how the benevolence-dependability value affects intertemporal choice and how perceived socioeconomic status moderates this relationship. The results showed that participants' benevolence-dependability value positively predicted their intertemporal choice, and that perceived socioeconomic status moderated this relationship. Further, the benevolence-dependability value of individuals of higher perceived socioeconomic status did not have a significant effect on intertemporal choice. In contrast, the benevolence-dependability value of those of lower perceived socioeconomic status significantly affected their intertemporal choice. These findings suggest that individuals with the benevolence-dependability value make long-term decisions. Theoretical implications for the development of long-term benefits and practical implications for the planning of effective training for business are discussed.
Keywords: benevolence-dependability value, intertemporal choice, perceived socioeconomic class, construal level theory.
Which would you prefer, to receive an immediate US$100 or to wait a month for US$110? Most people would choose the former (Mazur, 2001). This is an example of intertemporal choice, which refers to the trade-off decision process between the potential costs and benefits of various options across different time points (Kable & Glimcher, 2007; McClure, Laibson, Loewenstein, & Cohen, 2004; Wittmann & Paulus, 2008). Intertemporal choice reflects the extent to which people are willing to sacrifice short-term interests and wait for long-term benefits (Ainslie, 1975; Kwan et al., 2015; Loewenstein, 1988). However, as people tend to prefer to receive an immediate smaller benefit over a delayed larger one, this suggests a short-sighted decision-making pattern in their daily life (O'Donoghue & Rabin, 1999; Thaler, 1981). Delay discounting rates and subjective value are usually used to index intertemporal choice. A low delay discounting rate or a high subjective value indicate that an individual prefers to choose a long-term larger reward rather than an immediate smaller reward (Kirby, Petry, & Bickel, 1999).
To explain the psychological mechanism of intertemporal choice, Loewenstein (1996) adopted construal level theory, proposing two levels, high and low. At a high construal level, people characterize behavior and events in the long-term future using abstract and general information that includes higher generalization to future behavior, and is structured, less contextual, and related to long-term goals. At a low construal level, people characterize behavior and events in the near future using concrete information that is detailed, vivid, unstructured,...