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The Categorization of Time and Its Impact on Task Initiation

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  • Yanping Tu
  • Dilip Soman

Abstract

It could be argued that success in life is a function of a consumer's ability to get things done. The key step in getting things done is to get started. This research explores the effect of the categorization of time on task initiation. Specifically, we theorize that consumers use a variety of cues to categorize future points in time (events) into either events that are like the present event or those that are unlike the present event. When the deadline of a task is categorized in a like-the-present category, it triggers the default implemental mind-set and hence results in a greater likelihood of task initiation. A series of field and lab studies among farmers in India and undergraduate and MBA students in North America provided support to this theorizing. Our findings have implication for goal-striving strategy and choice architecture.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanping Tu & Dilip Soman, 2014. "The Categorization of Time and Its Impact on Task Initiation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(3), pages 810-822.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/677840
    DOI: 10.1086/677840
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    Cited by:

    1. Koo, Minjung & Dai, Hengchen & Mai, Ke Michael & Song, Camilla Eunyoung, 2020. "Anticipated temporal landmarks undermine motivation for continued goal pursuit," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 142-157.
    2. Briscese, Guglielmo, 2019. "Generous by default: A field experiment on designing defaults that align with past behaviour on charitable giving," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Dirkmaat, Thomas & Rohde, Kirsten I.M. & van de Veer, Evelien & van Dijk, Bram & Yu, Xiao, 2023. "Managing “Last Moment Behavior”: Non-binding target dates to reduce the spikes in task completion at deadlines," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    4. Duckworth, Angela L. & Gross, James J., 2020. "Behavior change," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(S), pages 39-49.
    5. Paul D. Adams & Stefan Hunt & Christopher Palmer & Redis Zaliauskas, 2019. "Testing the Effectiveness of Consumer Financial Disclosure: Experimental Evidence from Savings Accounts," NBER Working Papers 25718, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Gupta, Shipra & Coskun, Merve, 2021. "The influence of human crowding and store messiness on consumer purchase intention– the role of contamination and scarcity perceptions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    7. Kao Si & Xianchi Dai, 2022. "The memory-search frame effect: impacts on consumers’ retrieval and evaluation of consumption experiences," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 5-17, March.
    8. Beshears, John & Dai, Hengchen & Milkman, Katherine L. & Benartzi, Shlomo, 2021. "Using fresh starts to nudge increased retirement savings," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 72-87.
    9. Yuanqiong He & Junfang Zhang & Yuanyuan Zhou & Zhilin Yang, 2019. "“Monkey See, Monkey Do?”: The Effect of Construal Level on Consumers’ Reactions to Others’ Unethical Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 455-472, May.
    10. Feurer, Sven & Haws, Kelly L., 2022. "Justifiable justifications in sequential indulgent choice situations: A framework for future research based on perceived exceptionality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 630-639.
    11. Sharif, Marissa A. & Oppenheimer, Daniel M., 2021. "The effect of categories on relative encoding biases in memory-based judgments," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1-8.
    12. Beere, Brendan & Byrne, Shane & Kelly, Jane & Pratap Singh, Anuj, 2022. "The Great Account Migration: Lessons from Behavioural Economics," Financial Stability Notes 13/FS/22, Central Bank of Ireland.
    13. Adams, Paul & Hunt, Stefan & Palmer, Christopher & Zaliauskas, Redis, 2021. "Testing the effectiveness of consumer financial disclosure: Experimental evidence from savings accounts," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 122-147.
    14. Bayuk, Julia Belyavsky & Patrick, Vanessa M., 2021. "Is the uphill road the one more taken? How task complexity prompts action on non-pressing tasks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 436-449.
    15. Hengchen Dai & Katherine L. Milkman & Jason Riis, 2014. "The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(10), pages 2563-2582, October.
    16. Tatiana Sokolova, 2023. "Days-of-the-Week Effect in Temporal Judgments," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 50(1), pages 167-189.
    17. Dai, Hengchen, 2018. "A double-edged sword: How and why resetting performance metrics affects motivation and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 12-29.
    18. Rai, Dipankar & (Wilson) Lin, Chien-Wei & Jiraporn, Napatsorn, 2021. "The impact of scheduling styles on time-limited promotions: The moderating role of redemption frames," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 774-786.

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