Does the tendency to overestimate future emotions motivate practice in young children?

Abstract

Young children and adults tend to overestimate the intensity of their emotional responses to future events. This intensity bias has been proposed to motivate future oriented behaviour. In two studies (N=210) we investigated if the magnitude of the intensity bias was associated with increased practice for an upcoming ‘championship game’. Children (4–8 years) anticipated their emotional response towards losing the championship game, and were then given free time where they could practice in preparation, or play a distractor game. We measured the time children spent playing and the number of attempts they made in the target game. Children reported their emotions once again after they lost the championship game, which was set up to be too difficult to win. Replicating previous findings, children predicted they would feel sadder to lose the game than they ended up reporting actually feeling when they lost. Planned analyses in study 1 revealed no association between the intensity bias and spending more time, or making more attempts, in the target game. However, post hoc analyses found that a greater intensity bias predicted children spending more time per attempt in the target game. This result was replicated in a new sample of children in study 2. We discuss how this finding may support the possibility that the intensity bias functions to motivate future-oriented behaviour.