Part 1
Academic procrastination: The pattern and correlates of behavioral postponement -
Howell, Watson, Powell, Buro
Introduction
Procrastination: Delaying crucial tasks or delaying them to the point of discomfort. Failure of
self-regulation. Few studies examine procrastination's dynamic nature over time.
The “Nomological Network” of Procrastination
● The hyperbolic pattern of postponement: It is seen as a facet of procrastination rooted
in self-regulation failure. Procrastinators struggle more o resist immediate temptations
when the rewards lie in the distant future. It's the tendency to prioritize immediate
rewards or distractions over long-term benefits, which contributes to delaying tasks.
● Temporal Discounting: The perceived value of future rewards decreases as the delay to
attain them increases. In the context of procrastination, this manifests as a difficulty in
resisting immediate temptations despite understanding the remote advantages of
academic preparation. You don’t see the benefit when the reward is far away.
● Say-Do Correspondence: The consistency between what individuals plan and what
they actually do is crucial for self-regulation development.
● Implementation Intentions: Creating specific plans regarding when, where, and how to
achieve goals has shown to improve academic performance.
● Perceived Academic Control: Beliefs about personal influence over academic success
impact task initiation.
The Current Study: Investigates the hyperbolic pattern in the submission of computer-based
course assignments to understand postponement. The predictions are; acceleration in
assignment submissions as the deadline nears, especially among self-reported procrastinators.
Positive correlations between implementation intentions, say-do correspondence, perceived
academic control, and negative correlations with self-reported procrastination and behavioral
postponement.
Method
Participants: 95 psychology students, college at a university-studies level, mostly female.
Materials: The scales they used were Procrastination Assessment Scale – Students (PASS),
Procrastination Scale (Tuckman, 1991), Perceived Academic Control measure (Perry et al.,
2001), Self-reported assignment procrastination, Implementation intentions, Say-do
correspondence.
Procedure: Exact submission times before the midnight deadline were recorded for each
assignment. Assignments submitted past the deadline were recorded as '0'.
Results
, Pattern of Assignment Submission: Majority of students submitted assignments close to the
deadline across all seven assignments. An increase in submissions approximately a day before
the deadline + Accelerated increase in submissions as the deadline approached. Students with
high self-reported procrastination showed a stronger correlation with the hyperbolic function
than those reporting lower procrastination. Among high procrastinators, the function
accounted for 93.8% of submission frequency variance.
Descriptive Statistics and Inter-Correlations Among Measures: No correlation between age and
the listed variables. Women scored higher in implementation intentions. Self-report measures
of procrastination correlated with each other and with behavioral postponement measures.
Inverse correlation between self-reported procrastination and say-do correspondence.
Procrastination Scale scores inversely correlated with implementation intentions.
Implementation intentions positively correlated with say-do correspondence. Inverse
correlation between self-reported assignment procrastination and grades; Perceived Academic
Control positively associated with grades.
Discussion
Assignment Submissions: Majority delayed submissions close to deadlines. Hyperbolic pattern
observed (the tendency for the rate of submissions to accelerate as the deadline approaches),
resembling prior studies. Strongest among self-reported procrastinators. No correlation found
with grades, possibly due to specific vs. generalized assessment.
The Nomological Network of Procrastination: Self-report measures correlated and linked to
behavioral postponement. Self-reported procrastination inversely related to say-do
correspondence. Say-do correspondence associated with conscientiousness. Implementation
intentions showed no consistent relation to procrastination. Perceived academic control
correlated with grades but not consistently with procrastination or self-regulation. Perceived
control might not prevent procrastination despite self-responsibility for success.
Limitations and Future Directions:
● Sample Limitations: First-year undergraduates may not represent all age groups.
Majority female participants may skew overall findings. Enrollment in a single course
limits broader applicability.
Academic procrastination: The pattern and correlates of behavioral postponement -
Howell, Watson, Powell, Buro
Introduction
Procrastination: Delaying crucial tasks or delaying them to the point of discomfort. Failure of
self-regulation. Few studies examine procrastination's dynamic nature over time.
The “Nomological Network” of Procrastination
● The hyperbolic pattern of postponement: It is seen as a facet of procrastination rooted
in self-regulation failure. Procrastinators struggle more o resist immediate temptations
when the rewards lie in the distant future. It's the tendency to prioritize immediate
rewards or distractions over long-term benefits, which contributes to delaying tasks.
● Temporal Discounting: The perceived value of future rewards decreases as the delay to
attain them increases. In the context of procrastination, this manifests as a difficulty in
resisting immediate temptations despite understanding the remote advantages of
academic preparation. You don’t see the benefit when the reward is far away.
● Say-Do Correspondence: The consistency between what individuals plan and what
they actually do is crucial for self-regulation development.
● Implementation Intentions: Creating specific plans regarding when, where, and how to
achieve goals has shown to improve academic performance.
● Perceived Academic Control: Beliefs about personal influence over academic success
impact task initiation.
The Current Study: Investigates the hyperbolic pattern in the submission of computer-based
course assignments to understand postponement. The predictions are; acceleration in
assignment submissions as the deadline nears, especially among self-reported procrastinators.
Positive correlations between implementation intentions, say-do correspondence, perceived
academic control, and negative correlations with self-reported procrastination and behavioral
postponement.
Method
Participants: 95 psychology students, college at a university-studies level, mostly female.
Materials: The scales they used were Procrastination Assessment Scale – Students (PASS),
Procrastination Scale (Tuckman, 1991), Perceived Academic Control measure (Perry et al.,
2001), Self-reported assignment procrastination, Implementation intentions, Say-do
correspondence.
Procedure: Exact submission times before the midnight deadline were recorded for each
assignment. Assignments submitted past the deadline were recorded as '0'.
Results
, Pattern of Assignment Submission: Majority of students submitted assignments close to the
deadline across all seven assignments. An increase in submissions approximately a day before
the deadline + Accelerated increase in submissions as the deadline approached. Students with
high self-reported procrastination showed a stronger correlation with the hyperbolic function
than those reporting lower procrastination. Among high procrastinators, the function
accounted for 93.8% of submission frequency variance.
Descriptive Statistics and Inter-Correlations Among Measures: No correlation between age and
the listed variables. Women scored higher in implementation intentions. Self-report measures
of procrastination correlated with each other and with behavioral postponement measures.
Inverse correlation between self-reported procrastination and say-do correspondence.
Procrastination Scale scores inversely correlated with implementation intentions.
Implementation intentions positively correlated with say-do correspondence. Inverse
correlation between self-reported assignment procrastination and grades; Perceived Academic
Control positively associated with grades.
Discussion
Assignment Submissions: Majority delayed submissions close to deadlines. Hyperbolic pattern
observed (the tendency for the rate of submissions to accelerate as the deadline approaches),
resembling prior studies. Strongest among self-reported procrastinators. No correlation found
with grades, possibly due to specific vs. generalized assessment.
The Nomological Network of Procrastination: Self-report measures correlated and linked to
behavioral postponement. Self-reported procrastination inversely related to say-do
correspondence. Say-do correspondence associated with conscientiousness. Implementation
intentions showed no consistent relation to procrastination. Perceived academic control
correlated with grades but not consistently with procrastination or self-regulation. Perceived
control might not prevent procrastination despite self-responsibility for success.
Limitations and Future Directions:
● Sample Limitations: First-year undergraduates may not represent all age groups.
Majority female participants may skew overall findings. Enrollment in a single course
limits broader applicability.
