Exploratory tendencies explain task delay in procrastination

Abstract

In this study (N = 237), we explore a novel explanation of the mechanisms underlying task delay during procrastination. Given emerging evidence that procrastination sometimes has creative advantages, we hypothesized that procrastinators delay tasks because they prefer exploratory learning strategies. Exploratory learning in children involves cognitive flexibility that enables more creative pattern recognition in conjunctive rule tasks compared to adults. This pattern may parallel the creative advantages observed in procrastinators. We therefore investigated whether procrastinators were more accurate than non-procrastinators in decoding conjunctive rules and whether procrastination predicts creativity. We found that procrastinators were indeed more successful in decoding conjunctive rules and showed higher creativity. These findings suggest that procrastinators employ a distinctively exploratory approach that, while risking task delay, can facilitate performance in certain contexts.