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Research Details
Viewing Time Through the Lens of the Self: The Fit Effect of Self-Construal and Temporal Distance on Task Perception, European Journal of Social Psychology
Abstract
This paper describes how different self-construals influence people’s perception of temporal distance and in turn their task evaluation. We hypothesize that people with a more accessible interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal perceive future events as temporally more proximal, and that people’s reaction toward a task is intensified when the temporal distance to the task matches (vs. mismatches) their self-construal. Across four studies, we showed that individuals with a more accessible interdependent self-construal (Study 1) and East Asians (Study 2) perceived future events as more proximal than those with a more accessible independent self-construal and European Americans. Further, when considering a task at a temporal distance that their self-construal, individuals perceived a pleasant task as more motivating (Study 3) and an unpleasant task as less motivating (Study 4)
Type
Article
Author(s)
Sujin Lee, Angela Y. Lee, Mary Kern
Date Published
2011
Citations
Lee, Sujin, Angela Y. Lee, and Mary Kern. 2011. Viewing Time Through the Lens of the Self: The Fit Effect of Self-Construal and Temporal Distance on Task Perception. European Journal of Social Psychology. 41: 191-200.