Translational research into intertemporal choice: The Western scrub-jay as an animal model for future-thinking

•We give an overview of comparative research into intertemporal choice.•We offer drug-taking and pathological gambling as areas in which understanding has benefited from translational research.•We argue that a fruitful area for further investigation is the involvement of future-thinking in intertemporal choice.•We offer the Western scrub-jay as a potential animal model for future comparative research into this topic.

Decisions often involve outcomes that will not materialise until later, and choices between immediate gratification and future consequences are thought to be important for human health and welfare. Combined human and animal research has identified impulsive intertemporal choice as an important factor in drug-taking and pathological gambling. In this paper, we give an overview of recent research into intertemporal choice in non-human animals, and argue that this work could offer insight into human behaviour through the development of animal models. As an example, we discuss the role of future-thinking in intertemporal choice, and review the case for the Western scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) as an animal model of such prospective cognition.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Tribute to Tom Zentall.