Impulsivity, Procrastination, and Performance

Abstract

Previous findings on the relationship between psychological traits and procrastination are inconsistent. Same applies to the relationship between procrastination and performance. Some researchers have reported negative influences of procrastination on performance, some researchers have reported positive influences, and the others have reported no influences. It is partly due to the fact that prior research has explored only each of the two relationships. Additionally, the relationship between psychological traits and performance remains hidden from view. In order to overcome these limitations, this study investigates the relationships among psychological traits, procrastination, and performance. Steel(2011) presented a scale of procrastination and scales of three psychological traits (expectation, value, and impulsivity). I translated them into Japanese language and made some modest amendments in order to improve the suitability for Japanese students. Respondents were 160 sophomores (82 females, 78 males) of a university in Tokyo. Students answered the questionnaires and described their GPAs, which were used as the indicators of their academic performance. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that impulsivity acted on procrastination and that procrastination acted on performance. Expectation and value did not have significant influences on procrastination. None of the psychological traits had significant direct influences on performance. The model fit statistics indicated CFI=.864, GFI=.806, and RMSEA=.058.