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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
757
Precrastination and Time Perspective: Evidence from Intertemporal Decision-Making
1School of Education and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610225, China.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 25, 2023
Summary
Precrastination, the urge to start tasks early, is linked to a future time perspective and lower proactive personality. This behavior correlates with increased delay discounting, especially when facing potential losses.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Procrastination is well-researched, but precrastination, or starting tasks prematurely, is less understood.
- Precrastination involves initiating tasks immediately, potentially increasing effort and cognitive load.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between precrastination and time perspective, proactive personality, and intertemporal decision-making.
- To test the cognitive-load-reduction (CLEAR) hypothesis regarding precrastination.
Main Methods:
- Employed the near bucket paradigm with 81 undergraduate students.
- Assessed participants' time perspective, proactive personality, and performance in intertemporal decision-making tasks.
Main Results:
- Precrastination was positively associated with a future time dimension and negatively with proactive personality.
- A significant positive correlation was found between precrastination and delay discounting.
- This correlation was specific to situations involving potential losses.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the CLEAR hypothesis, suggesting precrastination may reduce perceived cognitive load.
- Time perspective and proactive personality are key factors influencing precrastination.
- Precrastination's impact on decision-making, particularly concerning losses, warrants further investigation.
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