Beyond Parkinson's law: the effect of excess time on subsequent performance.

The abstract is a comprehensive summary of the contents of the research report. It is 100 to 150 words in length. It is typed on a separate page with the word “Abstract” centered at the top of the page in upper and lowercase letters, without paragraph indentation. It should include a brief statement of the problem, a summary of the method used (including a description of the participants, instruments or apparatus), the procedure, the results (including statistical significance levels), and any conclusions and implications. Abstract A laboratory experiment was conducted in which, "by accident," some Ss were allowed too much time in which to perform a task while others were allowed a minimum amount of time. Subsequently, when presented with a similar task, and allowed to work at their own pace, Ss who were allowed excess time initially required more time to complete the task. Thus, going beyond Parkinson's law, not only does a piece of work expand to fill the time available, but once it has expanded it continues to require more time. The phenomenon is discussed in terms of Guthrie's theory of learning and Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance.