Ending on a high note: adding a better end to effortful study

Abstract

Remembered utility is the retrospective evaluation about the pleasure and pain associated with a past experience. It has been shown to influence prospective choices about whether to repeat or to avoid similar situations in the future (D. Kahneman 2000; D. Kahneman, D. L. Fredrickson, C. A. Schreiber, & D. A. Redelmeier, 1993). Evaluations about our hedonic past often disregard the duration of the experience and are influenced more by the peak and the final levels of discomfort (B. L. Fredrickson & D. Kahneman, 1993). Two experiments explored the remembered discomfort of an effortful learning experience and the influence of this evaluation on prospective study choices. The design of the studies mimicked D. Kahneman et al.'s (1993) cold-pressor study, but used an exceptionally challenging learning experience in place of the painful experience of submerging one's hand in ice water. An extremely effortful study episode extended by a more moderate interval was preferred to a shorter, unextended interval, despite better test performance following the shorter interval. Future study choices reflected this preference. These findings suggest that the act of acquiring knowledge has value in the learning process.