Day 069 — Reading: The Psychology of Procrastination

2026-06-22 Phase 2 — Band 6.0 目標 Reading（月曜） T/F/NG + Matching Headings + Short Answer | 13問 | 20分

背景知識

Reading Day — 月曜

今日は Academic Reading — Psychology & Behaviour（先延ばし心理学） の練習です。IELTS Academic Reading は3パッセージ60分ですが、今日は1パッセージ（約600語）20分の集中練習です。

設問形式今日の出題数攻略ポイント
True / False / Not Given6問（Q1〜6）「矛盾」と「情報なし」を区別する
Matching Headings5問（Q7〜11）トピックセンテンスを読む
Short Answer2問（Q12〜13）語数制限を守り本文から抜き出す
今日のテーマ: 先延ばし（Procrastination）
心理学・神経科学・行動経済学にまたがるアカデミック文章です。エンジニアとして「なぜ重要なタスクを後回しにしてしまうのか」という実感と結びつけながら読むと語彙が定着しやすいです。

T/F/NG 採点基準

判定条件判定方法
TRUE本文の内容と一致する本文に同じ意味の記述がある
FALSE本文の内容と矛盾する本文に逆の意味の記述がある
NOT GIVEN本文に情報がない本文から判断できない（あいまいも NG）
最頻出ミス: NOT GIVEN と FALSE の混同
NOT GIVEN = 「本文に書かれていない」。FALSE = 「本文と正反対のことが書かれている」。
自分で推論・計算・常識で判断した結果は NG。

パッセージ

⏰ 目安: パッセージ読解 8分 / 設問 12分
READING PASSAGE

The Psychology of Procrastination

A Procrastination — the act of delaying or postponing tasks — is one of the most common behavioural patterns observed in modern society. While it is often dismissed as mere laziness, contemporary psychologists argue that procrastination is a far more complex phenomenon rooted in emotional regulation rather than time management. According to Dr Piers Steel, a leading researcher in this field, approximately 20% of adults worldwide identify themselves as chronic procrastinators, with the prevalence particularly high among university students, where rates can reach 70% or more.
B The neurological basis of procrastination has become a significant area of study. Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed that individuals who procrastinate chronically tend to have a larger amygdala — the brain region associated with processing emotions and generating fear responses. Furthermore, the connectivity between the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), which helps translate intention into action, appears to be weaker in chronic procrastinators. This neurological profile suggests that procrastinators are more susceptible to emotional interference when attempting to initiate tasks.
C A key theoretical framework for understanding procrastination is the Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT), developed by Steel and König in 2006. TMT posits that motivation is determined by four factors: the expectancy of success, the value of the task, the immediacy of the reward, and personal sensitivity to delay. When a task is perceived as difficult, unpleasant, or distant in its reward, motivation to begin it drops sharply. This explains why students often begin assignments only when a deadline is imminent, as the urgency of the deadline temporarily overrides the emotional cost of engaging with an unpleasant task.
D Contrary to popular belief, procrastination is not always associated with poor performance outcomes. Some researchers distinguish between passive procrastination — the unintentional delay of tasks due to inability to act — and active procrastination — the deliberate choice to delay in order to work more effectively under pressure. A study by Chu and Choi (2005) found that active procrastinators reported similar levels of academic achievement to non-procrastinators and showed higher levels of satisfaction with their outcomes. These individuals actively regulate their behaviour and use time pressure as a motivational tool.
E The rise of digital technology has introduced new dimensions to the procrastination problem. Smartphones, social media platforms, and streaming services provide immediate, low-effort rewards that compete directly with the delayed, high-effort rewards associated with completing meaningful work. Psychologists refer to this as present bias — the tendency to overweight immediate rewards compared to future rewards of greater value. Research conducted at the University of Gothenburg found that heavy social media users were significantly more likely to report procrastination-related stress and lower academic performance compared to moderate users.
F Therapeutic approaches to chronic procrastination have evolved considerably. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) remains the most widely endorsed treatment, helping individuals identify and challenge the distorted thought patterns — such as perfectionism and fear of failure — that underlie avoidance behaviour. More recent interventions draw on principles of mindfulness, encouraging procrastinators to observe their avoidance impulses without acting on them. Implementation intention strategies, in which individuals specify when, where, and how they will begin a task, have also shown considerable promise in experimental settings.
G Organisations and educational institutions are increasingly designing environments to reduce procrastination. Techniques such as task segmentation — breaking large projects into smaller, manageable steps — and commitment devices, where individuals voluntarily restrict their future choices (such as scheduling website blockers), have gained traction in both academic and corporate settings. The field of behavioural economics offers additional tools, including default enrolment systems and progress visualisation, which can subtly nudge individuals towards more productive behaviour without requiring willpower.

設問

Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?

Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
Write FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
Write NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage
1
Procrastination is primarily caused by poor time management skills.
2
Chronic procrastinators tend to have a larger amygdala than non-procrastinators.
3
The Temporal Motivation Theory was developed by Steel and König in the 1990s.
4
Active procrastinators can achieve academic results comparable to those of non-procrastinators.
5
University students are more likely to procrastinate than working adults.
6
Social media use has been linked to both procrastination-related stress and poorer academic performance.
Questions 7–11: Matching Headings
The reading passage has seven paragraphs labelled A–G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B–F from the list below.

List of Headings:

  • i. Environmental design as a solution
  • ii. A brain-based explanation for delay
  • iii. The role of technology in worsening avoidance
  • iv. When delaying is a deliberate strategy
  • v. How motivation and timing interact
  • vi. Defining the problem and its scale
  • vii. Therapeutic and behavioural interventions
7
Paragraph B    _______
8
Paragraph C    _______
9
Paragraph D    _______
10
Paragraph E    _______
11
Paragraph F    _______
Questions 12–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
12
What term describes the tendency to prefer immediate rewards over more valuable future rewards?
13
What therapeutic approach helps individuals challenge distorted thought patterns such as perfectionism?

有用語彙・表現

語彙 / 表現品詞 / 意味使用例
procrastinationn. 先延ばしProcrastination is rooted in emotional regulation.
chronicadj. 慢性的なchronic procrastinators = 常習的な先延ばし者
prevalencen. 有病率・普及率the prevalence particularly high among students
amygdalan. 扁桃体（脳）larger amygdala in chronic procrastinators
susceptible tophr. 〜に影響を受けやすいmore susceptible to emotional interference
positv. 〜と仮定する・主張するTMT posits that motivation is determined by four factors.
imminentadj. 差し迫ったwhen a deadline is imminent
deliberateadj. 意図的なa deliberate choice to delay
present biasn. 現在バイアスthe tendency to overweight immediate rewards
commitment devicen. コミットメントデバイスindividuals voluntarily restrict their future choices
nudgev. そっと促すnudge individuals towards productive behaviour
tractionn. 支持・普及have gained traction in academic settings

ヒント

T/F/NG では「設問のキーワード」をパッセージで探し、該当箇所を精読して判断します。「なんとなく合っている」では正解できません。

Matching Headings は選択肢が言い換え（paraphrase）されています。例えば「brain-based explanation」は本文の「neurological basis」に対応します。

  • Q1: 段落Aの「rooted in _____ rather than _____」に注目
  • Q3: 段落Cの年代を確認。設問は「1990s」と言っている
  • Q5: 大学生70%、全体20%は出ているが「社会人との直接比較」はあるか？
  • Q7〜11: 各段落の第1文がトピックセンテンス。キーワードと選択肢を照合する
  • Q12: 段落Eに「Psychologists refer to this as ___」という定義文がある
  • Q1 → 段落A「rooted in emotional regulation rather than time management」→ 設問と矛盾
  • Q2 → 段落B「tend to have a larger amygdala」→ 一致
  • Q3 → 段落C「Steel and König in 2006」→ 「1990s」ではない → 矛盾
  • Q4 → 段落D「similar levels of academic achievement to non-procrastinators」→ 一致
  • Q5 → 大学生70% vs. 社会人という直接比較記述なし → 情報なし
  • Q6 → 段落E「more likely to report procrastination-related stress and lower academic performance」→ 一致

モデル解答

ANSWERS — Band 7.5〜8.0相当

Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given

1
Procrastination is primarily caused by poor time management skills.
FALSE
Paragraph A: "procrastination is a far more complex phenomenon rooted in emotional regulation rather than time management"
2
Chronic procrastinators tend to have a larger amygdala than non-procrastinators.
TRUE
Paragraph B: "individuals who procrastinate chronically tend to have a larger amygdala"
3
The Temporal Motivation Theory was developed by Steel and König in the 1990s.
FALSE
Paragraph C: "developed by Steel and König in 2006" — not the 1990s.
4
Active procrastinators can achieve academic results comparable to those of non-procrastinators.
TRUE
Paragraph D: "active procrastinators reported similar levels of academic achievement to non-procrastinators"
5
University students are more likely to procrastinate than working adults.
NOT GIVEN
Paragraph A mentions university students (70%) and adults in general (20%), but does not directly compare university students to "working adults" as a group.
6
Social media use has been linked to both procrastination-related stress and poorer academic performance.
TRUE
Paragraph E: "heavy social media users were significantly more likely to report procrastination-related stress and lower academic performance"
ANSWERS — Matching Headings & Short Answer

Questions 7–11: Matching Headings

7
Paragraph B
ii — brain-based explanation
8
Paragraph C
v — motivation & timing
9
Paragraph D
iv — deliberate strategy
10
Paragraph E
iii — technology worsening avoidance
11
Paragraph F
vii — therapeutic interventions

Questions 12–13: Short Answer

12
Tendency to prefer immediate rewards over more valuable future rewards
present bias
13
Therapeutic approach challenging distorted thought patterns
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

解答分析

Q1 (FALSE) の核心: "rooted in emotional regulation rather than time management" — "rather than" は明確な否定・対比表現。設問の「primarily caused by time management」は本文と正反対。

Q5 (NOT GIVEN) の核心: 大学生の割合70% と全体20% は別の文脈で登場しており、「大学生 vs. 社会人」という直接比較は存在しない。自分で計算して「70% > 20% だから True」と判断するのは NG の典型的誤り。

選択肢（見出し）本文キーワード対応段落
ii. A brain-based explanation for delayneurological basis, amygdala, fMRIB
v. How motivation and timing interactTemporal Motivation Theory, immediacy of the rewardC
iv. When delaying is a deliberate strategyactive procrastination, deliberate choiceD
iii. The role of technology in worsening avoidancedigital technology, social media, present biasE
vii. Therapeutic and behavioural interventionsCBT, mindfulness, implementation intentionF

よくある日本人のミス

ミス原因正しい判断
Q5を TRUE にしてしまう 「70% > 20%」と自分で計算・推論 本文に「社会人との比較」がない → NOT GIVEN
Q3を NOT GIVEN にしてしまう 年代の違いを見落とす 本文「2006」、設問「1990s」→ 矛盾 → FALSE
Q12の答えに冠詞を省く 名詞句を忘れる "present bias"（本文の語をそのまま抜き出す）
Matching Headings に段落 A や G を含める 問題文の「B–F」という指定を読み落とす 設問は「paragraphs B–F」のみ（A, G は対象外）

自己評価

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