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PaperProcrastination

Two kinds of mind training did not cut putting things off more than none

Who it’s about: Students

A young woman in a checked sweater sits cross-legged on a cushion blowing a soap bubble beside a stack of closed books.
  1. No difference

    Twelve sessions on changing upsetting pictures in the mind while relaxed did not cut putting things off more than none.

    Small randomised trial of 45 final-year schoolgirls in Iran who put things off · vs students who got no training · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show

  2. No difference

    Nine sessions on coping with not knowing what comes next did not cut putting things off more than none.

    Small randomised trial of 45 final-year schoolgirls in Iran who put things off · vs students who got no training · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show

The study

Who took part

45 girls in their last year of school in Bojnurd, Iran, about 18 on average. They were chosen because they put things off a lot, and 15 were in each group.

What they did

One group had 12 sessions of 90 minutes. They pictured upsetting thoughts and changed what they meant, while relaxing their muscles, and pictured happy scenes. Another group had 9 sessions of 90 minutes on coping with not knowing. They solved problems and sought out unclear spots on purpose. The third group had no training. All were checked again two months later.

What happened

Neither programme beat the group with no training on any of the five parts of the questionnaire. This held at the end and two months later. The paper's summary claims both programmes worked better than no training, but its own tests don't show that. Both trained groups did rate themselves as putting things off less than at the start.

Source

Comparing the Effectiveness of Instructional Mental Imagery and Tolerance of Ambiguity Training on Students' Academic Procrastination (2024)

DOI: 10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.2

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