Poster #131 - How Actual Versus Expected Wait Time Influences Children’s and Adults’ Emotions and Preferences

• In Event: Poster Session 14

Abstract

Although there are many benefits to thinking positively about the future (e.g., Brown & Marshall, 2001), there are times when thinking negatively eventually leads to feeling good (i.e., after the awaited outcome occurs). After uncontrollable situations, adults typically feel better about an outcome when they previously held low versus high expectations (Bossuyt et al., 2014; Carroll et al., 2006; Mellers et al., 1997). They reason that others would feel this way as well (Shepperd & McNulty, 2002). Businesses, such as restaurants, overestimate customer wait times so that people feel better when they wait less time than they expected (Shepperd et al., 2007). Children as young as 6 years also experience more positive affect (preferences and emotions) after holding low (versus high) expectations (Lara et al., 2021); but it is unknown if children follow this pattern in waiting contexts.
We plan to investigate children’s (aged 4 to 10 years) and adults’ (anticipated N = 200) experience of how expectations shape affective experiences (preferences and emotions). Specifically, how affect may change based on varying expected wait time. We have collected data from 29 adults to examine our measure’s validity, but these participants will not be included in our final sample because of some minor script changes. In the current study, after completing a filler task, all participants will wait five minutes to receive a treat (e.g., candy). Before the waiting period, half of the participants will be asked to wait ten minutes (low expectations; unexpected) and half will be asked to wait five minutes (expected). After receiving the treat, participants will report their preferences and emotions about (1) receiving the treat, (2) the amount of time that they waited, and (3) their overall experience of their study visit (i.e., “Did you like or dislike [the treat/time waited/overall experience]? How much? How did you feel about it?”). Participants will use 6-point pictorial scales for preferences (from “dislike a lot” to “like a lot”) and emotions (from “very bad” to “very good”).
We hypothesize that older children (6- to 10-year-olds) and adults who wait for a shorter time than expected (low expectations) will feel better about the treat, their wait time, and their overall experience, than those who waited for as long as they expected; however, younger children (4- to 5-year-olds) will have similar emotional reactions regardless of expected wait time. We have parallel hypotheses for preferences. We plan to run three separate 4 (age: 4- to 5-year-olds, 6- to 7-year-olds, 8- to 10-year-olds, adults) x 2 (condition: low expectation, expected) x 2 (rating: preference, emotion) mixed-effects ANOVAs on affect about (1) receiving a treat, (2) the amount of time they waited, and (3) their overall experience in the lab. Age and condition will be between-subjects factors and affect rating will be a within-subjects factor. Hypotheses and analysis plan are pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF).
This data may provide insight into developmental changes in how expectations shape future thoughts and emotions, with implications for children’s emotion regulation strategies.

Authors

• Karen Hjortsvang Lara, Southwestern University
  Presenting Author

• Juliana Hooper

• Arturo Jimenez

• Jack Hockenyos

• Morgan Weisner

• Jackson Fowler

• Dominic Deanda

• Hannah Jean Kramer, Queen’s University Belfast