Why do Leaders Give Shorter Time?—The Influence of Power on Time Cognition and Its Mechanisms
LI Qing-qing1 GAO Ming2 DENG Yan-fang2 ZHOU Zong-kui1
1. Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (Central China Normal University), Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 710049, China; 2. Management department, Beijing Dentons (Yichang) Law Office, Yichang 443000, China
Abstract：People tend to underestimate the expected time to complete tasks, and this biased time cognition is known as the planning fallacy. As a basic concept of social science, power is defined as the ability to achieve one's or organization's goals and influence the results of others by asymmetrically controlling over valued resources. Although the existing studies have shown that power can significantly affect individual time cognition, the underlying mechanism underlying this relationship is not clear. The purpose of this review is to reveal the potential mechanisms underlying the effect of power on time cognition by systematically summarizing the existing empirical and theoretical studies. Specifically, research has shown that high-power people (vs. the low) are more likely to underestimate the expected time needed to complete tasks and overestimate the available time resource at present. Moreover, individual possessing high power also perceives the temporal distance between present and future is closer as well as shows a lower level of temporal discounting. In summary, the underlying mechanisms underlying the effect of power on time cognition involve attention, motivation, sense of control, temporal self, and thinking style. Future studies should be needed to further examine the effect of power on time cognition from the perspective of more ecological interpersonal relationship and social situation, investigate the regulatory role of situational cues and individual’s goal-orientation in the association of power with prosocial behaviors, and expand the effect of power from the cultural background.
李庆庆，高明，邓炎方，周宗奎. 领导给的时间为什么这么少？—权力对时间认知的影响及作用机制[J]. 应用心理学, 2024, 30(4): 373-384.
LI Qing-qing，GAO Ming，DENG Yan-fang，ZHOU Zong-kui. Why do Leaders Give Shorter Time?—The Influence of Power on Time Cognition and Its Mechanisms. 应用心理学, 2024, 30(4): 373-384.
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