Procrastination: Effect of the contingency relation on the temporal distribution of responses
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Keywords

Procrastination
Reinforcement schedules
Concurrent schedules of reinforcement
College students

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How to Cite

Cordero Rubio , O. A. ., Fernández Nava, E., & Aguirre Canchola , G. (2024). Procrastination: Effect of the contingency relation on the temporal distribution of responses. Pensamiento Crítico. Revista De Investigación Multidisciplinaria, 10(19), 46-56. https://doi.org/10.64040/cxds0083

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the response-reinforcer relationship on the temporal distribution of responses in university students. Twelve first-semester psychology students from Universidad UDF Santa María participated in a virtual concurrent operants task designed for smartphones. The task consisted of a screen with three grey rectangles on a white background, functioning as operants. Participants pressed these rectangles to earn points based on different reinforcement schedules. Results showed that students initially distributed their responses toward options with lower requirements and gradually increased responses to the option with a higher requirement, demonstrating a procrastination-like pattern. The findings are discussed in terms of the methodological contributions of the study and the theoretical and empirical implications for procrastination research. 

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