Time to Choose: Preference for Gains/Losses in Multiple Time Periods of University Students

Abstract

Time, as a physical, psychological, and social phenomenon today, deserves, beyond doubt, much more than current researches. When we consider current studies, it is seen that likening, which is accepted between money and time, is still effective in the studies related to time which have been conducted. Within this context, although time, as a multilateral subject, necessitates different approaches from different disciplines, when the subject is considered from time to time within the framework of perception of people, there are few researches on whether people regard time different from money when faces with gains and losses. As hypothesis in this study, whether people who have high motivation of obtaining use of long-term discretionary uninterrupted time try to organize the time required for their activities which are non-discretionary (obligatory) or they tend to integrate a couple of obligatory activities was experimented. As a result, people tend to integrate their multiple money gains and losses rather than to segregate them. Such case is not compatible with hedonic editing theory which defends the reverse for multiple money gains and losses. The proposition of the research was supported with four studies which were conducted with the participation of 205 senior students by following methodology in the study conducted by Chang and Chang (2013). In the first experiment, it was tried to be understood how people chose one day off in addition to Saturday and Sunday. Similarly, in three consecutive studies, participants were given different scenarios and it was tried to be determined respectively how they made a choice for a break, which days in a week they chose for the duties to be performed and how they met their two-part time loses. It is considered that findings of the study may contribute to increasing managing effectiveness of today’s employees, whose intellectual level is high, who perceive time as an essential element in balancing work and family life.

Keywords: use of time, the perception of time, time gain and loss,