On the Interaction of Memory and Procrastination: Implications for Reminders, Deadlines, and Empirical Estimation
研究现时偏好与有限记忆如何相互作用，解释人们为何在截止日期前不行动以及提醒为何有效，并指导实证研究如何区分预期与非预期提醒。
The interaction between present bias and limited memory can explain why individuals do not act at deadlines and why providing reminders can have large effects. Individuals in my model must choose when and whether to complete a task, but may forget or procrastinate. A calibration exercise shows that assuming perfect memory leads to biased estimates of present bias because the rate of task completion at the deadline is much lower with imperfect memory. Naïve procrastination explains why individuals do not set up reminders despite large gains to doing so. The model offers guidance for empirical studies of reminders, making a distinction between anticipated and unanticipated reminders: anticipated reminders can induce additional procrastination, lowering both welfare and the probability the task is completed. I then use this framework to show how to optimally set deadlines and time the delivery of reminders to present-biased individuals.