More accurate or less accurate: How does maximization orientation affect task completion predictions?

This research examines how maximization orientation affects task completion predictions at different stages. We hypothesize that compared with satisficing, maximizing promotes the additional information focus before the task, thus attenuating optimistic predictions, but promotes the task content focus and hinders the additional information focus during the task, thereby enhancing biased predictions. As expected, maximizers generated later predictions before the task but earlier predictions during the task than satisficers (Study 1). A focus on additional information operated as a mediator before the task (Studies 2 and 4), and attention to additional information and task content played a mediation role during the task (Studies 3 and 4). When additional information was highlighted before the task (Study 5a) and during the task (Study 5b), the difference between maximizers and satisficers disappeared.