How do our attitudes toward the past and future shape our actions

To study the processes by which past behavior influences future behavior, participants were led to believe that without being aware of it, they had expressed either support for or opposition to the institution of comprehensive exams. Judgment and response time data suggested that participants’ perceptions of their past behavior often influenced their decisions to repeat the behavior. This influence was partly the result of cognitive activity that influenced participants’ cognitions about specific behavioral consequences and the attitude they based on these cognitions. More generally, however, feedback about past behavior had a direct effect on participants’ attitudes and ultimate behavioral decisions that was independent of the outcome-specific cognitions. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for biased scanning of memory, dissonance reduction, self-perception, and the use of behavior as a heuristic.

This occurs at the Exposition Stage of the story.

Jason is being told a key piece of information that will play a central role in the story. It introduces not only Jason and Mr. Manaby, but something that will drive future events, the 5:00 policy. The act of telling Jason is not yet Rising Action, however, because it only introduces the central elements of the story. The story has not yet begun to move towards its climax.