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Open Paper

Basic and Experimental Processes: Cognitive Biases, Attention, and Learning Mechanisms

Basic and Experimental Processes: Cognitive Biases, Attention, and Learning Mechanisms

5 - (OP28) Mechanisms of Change in Cognitive-behavioral Psychotherapy for Procrastinating Students: Moderation and Longitudinal Mediation Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trial Data

Saturday, June 27, 2026
3:13 PM - 3:30 PM PDT
Location: Yerba Buena Salon 6, B3 Level
Keywords: Treatment, Mediation / Mediators, Randomized Controlled Trial
Recommended Readings: Rozental, A., Bennett, S., Forsström, D., Ebert, D. D., Shafran, R., Andersson, G., & Carlbring, P. (2018). Targeting procrastination using psychological treatments: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1588. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01588,   Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65.,   Kazdin, A. E. (2007). Mediators and Mechanisms of Change in Psychotherapy Research. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091432,   ,  
Procrastination is a common self-regulatory difficulty among university students and is linked to substantial impairments in well-being. Although CBT is considered the most promising intervention, little is known about for whom it works best and how it produces change. This study addresses these gaps by examining a wide range of candidate moderators and mechanisms in secondary analyses of pooled data (N = 459) from two RCTs comparing a five-session group CBT for procrastinating students to a wait-list control.
First, several variables moderated intervention efficacy. Participants with greater baseline difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior under negative emotions and higher non-acceptance of emotional responses benefited more from the intervention. Dysfunctional beliefs associated with some personality disorders were linked to lower intervention effects. In contrast, baseline severity of depression, anxiety or ADHD symptoms, or baseline severity of procrastination did not influence the effects of treatment, suggesting broad applicability.
To understand how CBT produced its effects, we conducted contemporaneous and lagged longitudinal mediation analyses using structural equation modeling. Several processes emerged as contemporaneous mediators of therapeutic change. Increases in positive task-related affect, perseverance, emotional clarity, and internal attribution of success, and decreases in negative task-related affect mediated concurrent reductions in procrastination. Moreover, increases in task value and proactive control mediated treatment effects in both contemporaneous and lagged models.
Overall, this research provides the most comprehensive examination to date of the moderators and mechanisms underlying CBT for procrastination. A clearer understanding of these processes could guide more precise and effective interventions.

Learning Objectives:

  • Upon completion, participant will be able to describe the core psychological traits that influence the effectiveness of CBT treatment for procrastination and demonstrate a better understanding of its dynamics.