Duration sensitivity of key moments

The role of duration in the evaluation of experiences has been a topic of great interest. Extensive research finds “duration neglect,” defined as the duration of experiences exerting only a negligible direct effect on overall evaluations of experiences over that of key moments, usually peak and end....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognition 2021-09, Vol.214, p.104750-104750, Article 104750
Main Authors: Weingarten, Evan, Zauberman, Gal, Diehl, Kristin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Duration-neglect
Evaluations
Experiences
Peak-end rule
Time
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Summary:The role of duration in the evaluation of experiences has been a topic of great interest. Extensive research finds “duration neglect,” defined as the duration of experiences exerting only a negligible direct effect on overall evaluations of experiences over that of key moments, usually peak and end. In contrast, we argue that the temporal location of key moments that are embedded in an experience affects how people experience these key moments. Thus, duration enters overall evaluations indirectly through the experience of key moments. Seven studies, as well as three supplementary studies, employing diverse designs and analyses find that temporal location affects the evaluation of peak and end, and consequently duration has a significant indirect effect on overall evaluations, while also replicating duration neglect. Establishing duration-dependent key moments in the evaluation of experiences, our account also uniquely predicts, and we subsequently test, that the temporal location of key moments matters for evaluations of experiences.
ISSN:0010-0277
1873-7838
DOI:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104750