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Persistence motives in irrational decisions to complete a boring task
Torleif Halkjelsvik1, Jostein Rise2
1Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo, Norway th@sirus.no.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|October 31, 2014
Summary
People often persist with boring tasks for rewards, driven by internal motives rather than enjoyment. This study reveals that persistence is influenced by how choices are framed and individual differences.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Individuals often face choices between continuing effortful tasks or quitting.
- Understanding the motivations behind persistence is crucial for intertemporal decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors influencing the decision to quit or continue a tedious task despite identical rewards.
- To explore the role of persistence motives and framing effects on task continuation.
Main Methods:
- A novel task paradigm was developed using participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk.
- Multiple studies (1a-4) were conducted, varying task presentation and assessing participant motivations.
- Self-reported reasons for continuing and dispositional differences in persistence were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Approximately 50% of participants chose to continue the boring task, forgoing potential earnings.
- Self-reported persistence motives, rather than task enjoyment or perceived additional rewards, explained continuation.
- The framing of the choice (persistence test vs. decision-making test) and individual differences significantly impacted continuation decisions.
Conclusions:
- Motivational forces beyond immediate rewards significantly influence intertemporal choices.
- Persistence is driven by intrinsic motives and is sensitive to contextual framing and individual traits.
- This research highlights the complexity of decision-making in the context of effort and reward over time.
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