The Chronic Regulatory Focus On The Framing Effect Of Intertemporal Choice

Intertemporal choice is an individual's decision after comparing different benefits based on different time points.According to the regulatory focus theory,the subjects with promoting focus tend to achieve success,while the subjects with preventing focus tend to avoid risk and loss.Therefore,individuals with different motivational adjustment focuses have different intertemporal choices in the context of gain and losses.When people make decisions,they will make social comparison spontaneously or passively.The information brought by social comparison will further affect people's decision-making.So,how do chronic regulatory focus and social comparison affect intertemporal choices in the context of gain or losses?This study uses two experiments to combine trait adjustment orientation and social comparison to explore its intertemporal decision-making under the framework of gain and loss.Experiment 1: 83 college students were selected as subjects,and a mixed experiment design of 2(chronic regulatory focus: promoting focus/ preventing focus)× 2(different frames: gain framework/ loss framework)was adopted to explore the influence of chronic regulatory focus on intertemporal choice the framework of gain and loss.The results show that there is an interaction between the chronic regulatory focus and intertemporal choice in the framework of gain and loss.The subjects the subjects with promoting focus have no significant difference in the intertemporal choices under the gain framework compared with those under the loss framework;the subjects with preventing focus are more inclined to small and long-term loss under the loss framework than under the gain framework,that is,large and long-term benefit.Experiment 2: 119 college students were selected as subjects,and a mixed experiment design of 2(chronic regulatory focus: promoting focus/ preventing focus)× 3(social Comparison: upward/ downward/ parallel comparison)× 2(different framework: gain framework/ loss framework)was adopted.It was found that there are interactions between intertemporal choices under trait-adjusted orientation,social comparison,and gain/loss framework.In the upward social comparison,the subjects with preventing focus under the loss framework are more likely to make small andlong-term losses,that is,large and long-term benefits than those with promoting focus.Under the gain framework,there was no significant difference between the subjects who have promoting focus and those who have preventing focus.In the downward social comparison,there is no significant difference in the intertemporal choice of the gain framework and the loss framework,no matter the subjects who have promoting focus or preventing focus.In the parallel social comparison,there is no significant difference in the intertemporal choice of the gain framework and the loss framework,no matter the subjects who have promoting focus or preventing focus.From the perspective of the focus of chronic regulation and social comparison,this study examined its impact on the intertemporal choice under the framework of gain and loss,which helps us to better understand the influencing factors of the intertemporal choice under the framework of gain and loss,and enriches the relevant theories of the cross period decision-making.In addition,the results of this study can be applied to the field of consumer decision-making,which helps consumers correctly understand their possible misunderstandings in the intertemporal choice,and better guide participants to be more rational in making decisions.