title: Time pressure undermines performance more under avoidance than approach motivation.
abstract: Four experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that performance is particularly undermined by time pressure when people are avoidance motivated. The results supported this hypothesis across three different types of tasks, including those well suited and those ill suited to the type of information processing evoked by avoidance motivation. We did not find evidence that stress-related emotions were responsible for the observed effect. Avoidance motivation is certainly necessary and valuable in the self-regulation of everyday behavior. However, our results suggest that given its nature and implications, it seems best that avoidance motivation is avoided in situations that involve (time) pressure.
authors.affiliation: Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Guilford Glazer Faculty for Business and Management, Beer Sheva, Israel. mroskes@som.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roskes
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Elliot
authors.forename: Bernard A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Nijstad
authors.forename: Carsten K W
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: De Dreu
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D060805:Performance Anxiety; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: avoidance motivation; cognitive load; cognitive resources; performance; time pressure