Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control

Christensen, Else Gry Bro; Murooka, Takeshi

Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control

Christensen, Else Gry Bro; Murooka, Takeshi

OSIPP Discussion Paper, 2020, DP-2020-E-001, 1-47

Number of Access:322（2025-08-22 02:09 Counts）

Identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11094/75541

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Title	Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control
Creator	CreatorName Christensen, Else Gry Bro
Creator	NRID 1000010796345 1000010796345 researchmap permalink takeshimurooka takeshimurooka Scopus Author ID 37079438400 37079438400 CreatorName Murooka, Takeshi
Subject	procrastination
	self-control
	naivete
	hyperbolic discounting
	misdirected learning
Abstract	We study a model of task completion with the opportunity to learn about own selfcontrol problems over time. While the agent is initially uncertain about her future self-control, in each period she can choose to learn about it by paying a non-negative learning cost and spending one period. If the agent has time-consistent preferences, she always chooses to learn whenever the learning is beneficial. If the agent has timeinconsistent preferences, however, she may procrastinate such a learning opportunity. Further, if her time preferences exhibit inter-temporal conflicts between future selves (e.g., hyperbolic discounting), the procrastination of learning can occur even when the learning cost is zero. Such procrastination also leads to non-completion of the task. Our results help explain why people pursue implausible dreams and never start any task instead of taking better alternatives. When the agent has multiple initially uncertain attributes (e.g., own future self-control and own ability for the task), the agent’s endogenous learning decisions may be misdirected — she chooses to learn what she should not learn from her initial perspective, and she chooses not to learn what she should.
Publisher	Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University
Source Title	OSIPP Discussion Paper
Volume (Issue)	DP-2020-E-001
Page	1-47
Date of Issued	2020-03-04
Language	English
Handle URL	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/75541
Relation.references	URI http://www.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp/archives/DP/2020/DP2020E001.pdf
Access Rights	metadata only access
Category	ディスカッション／ワーキング・ペーパー DP/WP
Category	OSIPP Discussion Paper

Resource Type	technical report
Local Type	DP/WP
DCMI Type	Text
DCTERMS.bibliographicCitation	OSIPP Discussion Paper. 2020, DP-2020-E-001, p. 1-47
DC.title	Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control
DC.creator	Christensen, Else Gry Bro
DC.creator	Murooka, Takeshi
DC.publisher	Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University
DC.language' scheme='DCTERMS.RFC1766	English
DC.type' scheme='DCTERMS.DCMIType	Text
DCTERMS.issued' scheme='DCTERMS.W3CDTF	2020-03-04
DC.relation' scheme='DCTERMS.URI	http://www.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp/archives/DP/2020/DP2020E001.pdf
DC.subject	procrastination
	self-control
	naivete
	hyperbolic discounting
	misdirected learning
DCTERMS.abstract	We study a model of task completion with the opportunity to learn about own selfcontrol problems over time. While the agent is initially uncertain about her future self-control, in each period she can choose to learn about it by paying a non-negative learning cost and spending one period. If the agent has time-consistent preferences, she always chooses to learn whenever the learning is beneficial. If the agent has timeinconsistent preferences, however, she may procrastinate such a learning opportunity. Further, if her time preferences exhibit inter-temporal conflicts between future selves (e.g., hyperbolic discounting), the procrastination of learning can occur even when the learning cost is zero. Such procrastination also leads to non-completion of the task. Our results help explain why people pursue implausible dreams and never start any task instead of taking better alternatives. When the agent has multiple initially uncertain attributes (e.g., own future self-control and own ability for the task), the agent’s endogenous learning decisions may be misdirected — she chooses to learn what she should not learn from her initial perspective, and she chooses not to learn what she should.
DC.format	75541
citation_title	Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control
citation_author	Christensen, Else Gry Bro
citation_author	Murooka, Takeshi
citation_publisher	Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University
citation_language	English
citation_date	2020-03-04
citation_journal_title	OSIPP Discussion Paper
citation_volume	DP-2020-E-001
citation_firstpage	1
citation_lastpage	47
citation_public_url	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/75541
citation_abstract_html_url	http://www.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp/archives/DP/2020/DP2020E001.pdf

Procrastination and Learning about Self-Control

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