1. The number of items retrieved in the free choice condition was higher than in the “smaller tasks first” condition and smaller than in the “larger task first” condition, but the differences between the free choice condition and the other two conditions did not reach significance. 
2. 54% of participants (22 out of 41) in the free choice condition chose to start with a smaller task.
3. Importantly, the participants who started with a smaller task also tended to continue throughout the experiment with smaller tasks to a greater extent than participants who started with a larger task and earned fewer points.


Point Loma Nazarene University

1. The Impact of Larger/Smaller Tasks First
2. Free Choice Results


Results (The Psychology of Task Management: The Smaller Tasks Trap)

Rusou, Z., Amar, M., & Ayal, S. (2020). The Psychology of task management: The smaller tasks trap. Judgement and Decision Making, 15(4), 586–599. 

The Psychology of Task Management: The Smaller Tasks Trap

The mean number of items retrieved in the “larger task first” condition was significantly higher than the mean number of items retrieved in the “smaller tasks first” condition. Similarly, the mean number of points earned in the “larger task first” condition was significantly higher than the mean number of points earned in the “smaller tasks first.” Hence, it was more beneficial for participants to start with the larger tasks, both in terms of the number of items retrieved and in terms of the number of points earned. 

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