Unpacking on-task effort in performance-based learning: Information–knowledge gaps guide effort allocation decisions.

Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 109(1), Jan 2024, 77-98; doi:10.1037/apl0001140Learning and adaptation are essential for success. However, human effort is inherently finite, which creates a dilemma for employees. Is it better to prioritize capitalizing on existing knowledge structures to maximize immediate performance benefits (exploitation) or develop adaptive capabilities (exploration) at the expense of short-term productivity? Understanding how employees answer this question can inform the design of evidence-based interventions for optimizing and sustaining learning amidst workplace challenges. In this article, we attempt to unpack the composition of on-task effort during performance-based learning by testing the proposition that the information–knowledge gap—a regulatory discrepancy between unknown aspects of a task and a person’s perceived competence in dealing with that task—is the psychological mechanism responsible for guiding effort-allocation decisions during performance-based learning. In Study 1, we found that larger information–knowledge gaps resulted in increased subsequent investments of on-task attention within a sample of adults learning to perform a complex task (N = 121). As participants learned, information–knowledge gaps systematically shrank, resulting in a reduced emphasis on learning-oriented effort (i.e., exploration) relative to achievement-oriented effort (i.e., exploitation) over time. In Study 2 (N = 176), a task-change paradigm rev...
Source: Journal of Applied Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research