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The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship of task characteristics (task ambiguity) and task-specific dilatory behavior (state procrastination). In the frame of an autonomous writing task (writing a bachelor- or master-thesis) a two-wave panel design (n = 39, academic sample, online survey) was conducted. Students were asked about how ambiguous they perceive their work and about their current procrastination behavior (using a state measure) - both at the beginning and the end of their thesis. Results of a cross-lagged analysis with structural equation modeling indicate that task ambiguity at the first measurement predicts state procrastination at the second measurement, even when controlling for the autocorrelation. Instead, state procrastination at the first measurement does not predict task ambiguity at the second measurement (no reversed causation). It is concluded that there is a causal effect from task ambiguity to state procrastination.
Procrastination is described as "the intentional yet irrational postponement of a course of action despite knowing that this delay has negative effects" (Ferrari & Tibbett, 2017, p. 1). While about 15%-20% of adults in the general population procrastinate chronically (Harriott & Ferrari, 1996), the phenomenon of procrastination seems to occur primarily in the academic context. In general, studies report a negative relationship between procrastination and academic performance (Kim & Seo, 2015; Schouwenburg, 2004; Steel, 2007). About 50% of the students label their behavior as problematic (Day, Mensink, & O'Sullivan, 2014). Procrastinators miss deadlines more frequently (Van Eerde, 2003) and receive lower marks than non-procrastinators (Fritzsche, Young, & Hickson, 2003). Regarding socioeconomic factors, procrastination is associated with a lower income, shorter duration of employment, and being underemployed (working half-time) or unemployed (Nguyen, Steel, & Ferrari, 2013). Furthermore, procrastination is related to psychological strain, such as stress, anxiety, and depression (Flett, Haghbin, & Pychyl, 2016), as well as to a delayed health-related behavior (Sirois, Melia-Gordon, & Pychyl, 2003; Sirois, 2007; Sirois & Pychyl, 2016).
The dictum "everyone procrastinates, but not everyone is a procrastinator" (Ferrari & Tibbett, 2017, p. 2) reveals at least two aspects of procrastination: first, in certain situations, everybody intentionally yet irrationally postpones a task although he or she knows that this behavior is dysfunctional. Second, just because somebody acts like this, he or she can still be far away from...