Abstract
To complement the theoretical analysis on the self-control problems of decision makers, this paper empirically examines a remedy for procrastination. The setting for our study is university coursework, and we utilize unique data on daily records of self-directed learning activities. With quasi-experiments arising from the different frequency of interventions across classes, we examine the hypothesis that in-class prompts by an instructor mitigate the degree of procrastination. Further, with a registration mechanism that generates the grouping of students by their own preference, we consider whether student-class matching affects students’ responsiveness to prompts. In a sample of Japanese undergraduates, we find that prompts affect behavior, especially when reinforced. The impact of intervention, however, appears to be dependent on the class preferences and the timing of prompts. The study suggests that a minimally interventionist policy may have real impact but may fail to influence target groups.
