Is poor control over thoughts and emotions related to a higher tendency to delay tasks? The link between procrastination, emotional dysregulation and attentional control

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-31T03:11:26Z
dc.abstract.enA tendency to procrastinate has previously been linked to low attentional control and poor emotion regulation skills. Building upon these findings, in the present study we investigated whether the relationship between procrastination and attention can be corroborated and explained by emotion dysregulation and dispositional spontaneous mind-wandering. University students completed questionnaires along with the Attentional Networks Test for Interactions and Vigilance – executive and arousal components. The results showed that trait procrastination is inversely related to some indices of executive and arousal vigilance. Interestingly, the direct effects between trait procrastination and vigilance scores disappeared when emotion dysregulation or dispositional spontaneous mind-wandering were included in the model. Obtained findings suggest that difficulties in managing emotional reactions and poor control over the focus of one's thoughts might explain the relationship between low attentional control and increased chronic procrastination.
dc.affiliationPoznan Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience, Wydział Psychologii i Prawa w Poznaniu
dc.contributor.authorWiwatowska, Ewa
dc.contributor.authorProst, Magdalena
dc.contributor.authorColl-Martin, Tao
dc.contributor.authorLupiáñez, Juan
dc.date.access2025-06-25
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-25T07:18:08Z
dc.date.available2025-06-25T07:18:08Z
dc.date.created2025-04-16
dc.date.issued2025-04-28
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>A tendency to procrastinate has previously been linked to low attentional control and poor emotion regulation skills. Building upon these findings, in the present study we investigated whether the relationship between procrastination and attention can be corroborated and explained by emotion dysregulation and dispositional spontaneous mind‐wandering. University students completed questionnaires along with the Attentional Networks Test for Interactions and Vigilance – executive and arousal components. The results showed that trait procrastination is inversely related to some indices of executive and arousal vigilance. Interestingly, the direct effects between trait procrastination and vigilance scores disappeared when emotion dysregulation or dispositional spontaneous mind‐wandering were included in the model. Obtained findings suggest that difficulties in managing emotional reactions and poor control over the focus of one's thoughts might explain the relationship between low attentional control and increased chronic procrastination.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimebefore_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2021/41/N/HS6/0283
dc.description.granttitleThe relationship between mind-wandering and cognitive control in procrastination.
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/bjop.12793
dc.identifier.issn0007-1269
dc.identifier.issn2044-8295
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/1540
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enattentional control
dc.subject.enemotion regulation
dc.subject.enmind-wandering
dc.subject.enprocrastination
dc.subject.envigilance
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleIs poor control over thoughts and emotions related to a higher tendency to delay tasks? The link between procrastination, emotional dysregulation and attentional control
dc.title.journalBritish Journal of Psychology
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle