Suchergebnisse

AbstractConsumer multitasking (i.e., working on multiple tasks simultaneously) is a widespread modern phenomenon, yet the literature lacks an understanding of when and why consumers multitask. We experimentally show that consumers engage in multitasking behavior as a way to compensate for feelings of low control. Specifically, across five main studies and seven web appendix studies using two different multitasking paradigms, we find that consumers feeling low (vs. high) control volitionally choose to multitask more on subsequent tasks, rather than do the tasks sequentially (i.e., one task at a time). Mediation and moderation evidence demonstrate that this effect is driven by increased motivations to use time resources efficiently for those feeling low (vs. high) control. We also find that multitasking generally results in suboptimal consumer decision-making and decreased task performance. An intervention that altered consumer lay beliefs regarding multitasking and time efficiency was effective in lowering multitasking behavior for consumers experiencing low control during the COVID-19 pandemic. By investigating a cause of consumer multitasking and the underlying mechanism, our studies contribute to research on consumer multitasking, perceptions of control, and resource allocation with important implications for advertisers and marketing managers.

Meta-analysis of several hundred evaluations of Title I compensatory education programs shows that two distinct research designs consistently yield different results. The norm- referenced model portrays programs as positively effective while the regression-disconti nuity design shows them to be ineffective or even slightly harmful. Three potential biasing factors are discussed for each design—residual regression artifacts; attrition and time-of- testing problems in the norm-referenced design; and assignment, measurement, and data preparation problems in the regression-discontinuity design. In lieu of more definitive research the tentative conclusion is that in practice the norm-referenced design over estimates the program effect while the regression-discontinuity design underestimates it.

The predictor operator is a well established property of a human controller in manual control systems with a pursuit display. For periodic inputs, the human controller has been shown to use what is called a synchronous tracking mode to improve system performance considerably. The performance change is most evident in the phase portion of the system's Bode plot. The present study investigated the predictor operator in a manual control system with a compensatory display and compared it to a pursuit display. Four types of input signal were used: (1) single sinusoids, (2) narrow-band summed sinusoids, (3) variable-band summed sinusoids, and (4) wide-band summed sinusoids. The frequency range was from 0.04 to 1.5 Hz. The data from pursuit tracking were similar to data obtained in several previous studies. In this study the predictor operator in compensatory tracking was found to be similar to the predictor operator in pursuit tracking. This indicates the ability of the predictor operator to function in the absence of much important visual information found in the pursuit display and which the compensatory display lacks.