Delay or procrastination: A comparison of self-report and behavioral measures of procrastination and their impact on affective well-being

A short-term longitudinal study (N = 162 undergraduate students) replicates and extends previous findings on the relationship between self-reported procrastination and behavioral measures of procrastination (i.e., a comparison between actual and planned study time), and assesses their relation with affective well-being. All variables were measured 16 times over the course of 8 weeks. State measured self-reported and behavioral procrastination correlated only moderately. In line with the definition of procrastination as a combination of delaying to work on a task and discomfort with the delay, affective well-being was better predicted by self-reported than by behavioral procrastination. This suggests that self-reported procrastination better reflects the construct than a purely behavioral measure of procrastination. Consequences and implications for further assessment of procrastination are discussed. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.050 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-97621 Accepted Version Originally published at: Krause, Kathrin; Freund, Alexandra M (2014). Delay or procrastination: A comparison of self-report and behavioral measures of procrastination and their impact on affective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 63:75-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.050 RUNNING HEAD: DELAY OR PROCRASTINATION Delay or Procrastination – A Comparison of Self-Report and Behavioral Measures of Procrastination and Their Impact on Affective Well-Being Kathrin Krause & Alexandra M. Freund University of Zurich