The estimation of performance-time in simple tasks

Abstract

Six simple tasks were performed by 185 college students who estimated how long each task would require before it was carried out. In 5 of the 6 tasks the students overestimated by small amounts their performance-times. There were no significant differences between men and women in estimation, and women were not more variable than men. The chi-square method did not reveal any general ability to predict performance-time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)