Lloyd, Alex and McKay, Ryan and Hartman, Todd K. and Vincent, Benjamin T. and Murphy, Jamie and Gibson-Miller, Jilly and Levita, Liat and Bennett, Kate and McBride, Orla and Martinez, Anton P. and Stocks, Thomas V. A. and Vallières, Frédérique and Hyland, Philip and Karatzias, Thanos and Butter, Sarah and Shevlin, Mark and Bentall, Richard P. and Mason, Liam (2021) Delay discounting and under-valuing of recent information predict poorer adherence to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific Reports, 11 (1). ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented global changes in individual and collective behaviour. To reduce the spread of the virus, public health bodies have promoted social distancing measures while attempting to mitigate their mental health consequences. The current study aimed to identify cognitive predictors of social distancing adherence and mental health symptoms, using computational models derived from delay discounting (the preference for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards) and patch foraging (the ability to trade-off between exploiting a known resource and exploring an unknown one). In a representative sample of the UK population (N = 442), we find that steeper delay discounting predicted poorer adherence to social distancing measures and greater sensitivity to reward magnitude during delay discounting predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, under-valuing recently sampled information during foraging independently predicted greater violation of lockdown guidance. Our results suggest that those who show greater discounting of delayed rewards struggle to maintain social distancing. Further, those who adapt faster to new information are better equipped to change their behaviour in response to public health measures. These findings can inform interventions that seek to increase compliance with social distancing measures whilst minimising negative repercussions for mental health.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Lloyd, A., McKay, R., Hartman, T.K. et al. Delay discounting and under-valuing of recent information predict poorer adherence to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep 11, 19237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98772-5 Lloyd, A., McKay, R., Hartman, T.K. et al. Delay discounting and under-valuing of recent information predict poorer adherence to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep 11, 19237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98772-5 Open Access
Keywords:	social distancing adherence; Covid-19; Mental health symptoms;
Academic Unit:	Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	17012
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98772-5
Depositing User:	Philip Hyland
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2023 11:34
Journal or Publication Title:	Scientific Reports
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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