Abstraction Encourages Procrastination, Psychology Study Finds

By James Devitt

      We are more likely to procrastinate when the task before us is seen as abstract rather than as concrete, a team of psychologists, which includes NYU’s Yaacov Trope, has found.
      The study, which appeared in the journal Psychological Science, reported that when tasks were seen as abstract, or “psychologically distant,” subjects were more likely to put off doing them—regardless of the perceived importance, attractiveness, or difficulty of the task—than they were if these same duties were seen has having a tangible significance.
      The study’s other co-authors were Sean McCrea at Germany’s University of Konstanz, Nira Liberman of Tel Aviv University, and Steven Sherman at Indiana University.
      Drawing from previous scholarship, they speculated that if thinking about a task more concretely enables people to get started, manipulating this perspective should affect when individuals are likely to complete the task. For example, thinking about writing a review of a scientific study in concrete terms (e.g., ‘‘writing a page of comments’’) should make one do it sooner than thinking about the same chore in abstract terms (e.g., ‘‘contributing to the scientific feedback process’’).
      To test their hypothesis, the research team presented a questionnaire of 10 activities (e.g., ‘‘write in a diary,’’ ‘‘open a bank account’’) to undergraduates at the University of Konstanz. The subjects were to write about these activities under one of two conditions: abstract or concrete. In the abstract condition, participants were asked to write two sentences describing what characteristics are implied by each activity. In the concrete condition, participants were asked to write two sentences concerning how one would go about each activity. Participants in both conditions were then asked to rate how important, difficult, pleasant, and convenient it was for them to complete the task via e-mail. Participants were instructed to return their responses via e-mail within the next three weeks. After a participant’s e-mail message was received, an appointment would be scheduled and the participant would then receive a small monetary compensation.
      The results showed that the participants were more likely to respond sooner in the concrete condition than in the abstract condition. Conversely, those in the abstract condition were less likely to return the questionnaire at all—even though its return was necessary for subjects to receive compensation.
      “The research adds a new perspective to our understanding of why people procrastinate, showing that the way the task is represented influences when individuals complete it,” said Trope, who also co-authored a review of existing research in the field for Science magazine this winter. “The effects we observed were not influenced by the perceived importance, attractiveness, or difficulty of the task. Rather, our results suggest that completion times were a result of the task being viewed as an abstract or concrete endeavor.”