Motivation and temporal distance: effect on cognitive and affective manifestations
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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Gunnar Bjørnebekk1, Torgrim Gjesme
1The Norwegian Centre for Child Behavioral Development, 0306 Oslo, Norway. gunnar.bjomebekk@atferdssenteret.no
Abstract:
The implications of temporal distance on motivation-related concepts were examined. The results of an experiment, based on 585 Grade 6 students, indicated that both positive (approach) and negative (avoidance) motivation increased as the future goal or event approached in time. This increase in approach and avoidance motivation influenced the performance of the pupils differently. For pupils with success orientation, the performance increased. For pupils with failure orientation, the performance remained about the same.
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