Behavioral, Affective, and Cognitive Differences between High and Low Procrastinators as an Academic Deadline Approaches.

Previous research has shown that college students often report problems with procrastination on academic tasks. A study was conducted to investigate factors related to academic procrastination. Subjects (N=379) completed the Procrastination Assessment Scale on measures of test anxiety, attributions, and self-control. A subset of subjects (N=125) participated in weekly assessment sessions before, during, and after midterms. The results revealed that subjects who reported self-procrastination demonstrated behavioral delay and did less well academically than did non-procrastinators. Females and high procrastinators were more likely to report test anxiety. High procrastinators were more likely to attribute success on exams to more external and fleeting circumstances compared to low procrastinators. Cognitions of all students were greatly affected by proximity of upcoming exams. High procrastinators and females perceived themselves as having less delay of gratification, lower self-efficacy, and less control over emotional reactions. (ABL)