Cognitive Dynamics of Religiosity and Intertemporal Choice Behavior
The preference for smaller-sooner rewards over larger-delayed ones (temporal discounting, TD) has been suggested to be influenced by religiosity, through its role in enhancing self-control. Here we investigate this issue in Muslims, Catholics, and two control groups of Italian and Iranian atheists,...
Main Author: | |
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Contributors: | ; |
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
2020
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In: |
Journal of cross-cultural psychology
Year: 2020, Volume: 51, Issue: 9, Pages: 719-739 |
Further subjects: | B
Spirituality
B discounting behavior B time preferences B mouse kinematics B Religiosity B Implicit association test |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | The preference for smaller-sooner rewards over larger-delayed ones (temporal discounting, TD) has been suggested to be influenced by religiosity, through its role in enhancing self-control. Here we investigate this issue in Muslims, Catholics, and two control groups of Italian and Iranian atheists, by measuring implicit religiosity (implicit association test, IAT) and the cognitive dynamics underlying TD (using mouse tracking). Results showed that Muslims are the most farsighted, while Catholics are the most shortsighted and both atheists’ groups fall in between these two extremes; additionally, these results are also shaped by implicit religiosity (IAT). Mouse tracking analyses reveal that Muslims show higher cognitive conflict compared to the other groups, which arises only in later stages of processing. This indicates that farsighted behavior in Muslims requires the recruitment of self-control in order to regulate intertemporal decision-making. Our findings suggest that the highly demanding religious precepts enforced in (most) Islamic communities may help strengthen self-control abilities. |
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ISSN: | 1552-5422 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of cross-cultural psychology
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0022022120947478 |