Overcoming Academic Procrastination: A Behavioral-Cognitive Approach

Abstract

Procrastination, the act of delaying tasks, is an issue affecting students regardless of skin color, age, or gender. Notably, these young students are a significant proportion in the United States that struggle with academic procrastination. This research paper adopts the framework of a behavioral-cognitive psychology approach, employing both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and operant conditioning to uncover how academic procrastination occurs. CBT is the forefront instrument proposed to identify the cognitive processes contributing to the behavior procrastination. The role of operant conditioning serves as a tool to unlearn the behavior. The aim of the study was to explore the potential of a behavioral-cognitive approach to addressing the external distractions that can cause academic procrastination. Based on the current literature available regarding how CBT and operant conditioning are applied, a conclusion was formed. The study contains a preliminary model that aims to reduce academic procrastination by unlearning the behavior and addressing the underlying causes. Further research on the impact operant conditioning holds to influence an individual is required to solidify the findings.