The psychological cost of waiting
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: The psychological cost of waiting
zbMATH Open document ID: 0576.92025
DOI: 10.1016/0022-2496(85)90020-3
published in: Journal of Mathematical Psychology
publication date: 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z
review text: A random variable W representing the waiting time is introduced. A bounded, nondecreasing function H of W is defined as a subjective cost for waiting and the expected value of H(W) is considered as the intensity of psychological stress. Three theorems on the conditional intensity of psychological stress are proved in the first part of the paper. The accumulated stress for waiting up to time t is defined as the total psychological stress, accumulated up to t. A theorem on the accumulated stress is given in the second section of the paper. The effect of an information about the waiting time provided during the waiting is studied in the next section. The last section is devoted to the Bayesian treatment of the problem. Some strategies minimising the psychological stress accumulated during the waiting process are developed. The reviewed study represents interesting approach to this psychological question and it is based on the elementary results from probability theory.
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 91E99
zbMATH DE Number: 3922441
zbMATH Keywords: queueing problems
zbMATH Keywords: subjective cost for waiting
zbMATH Keywords: conditional intensity of psychological stress
zbMATH Keywords: accumulated stress
zbMATH Keywords: Bayesian treatment
zbMATH Keywords: waiting process
author: Edgar Elias Osuna
reviewed by: Petr Lansky
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: 0022-2496(85)90020-3
OpenAlex ID: W1975606945
cites work: Q3285915
cites work: Q4121682
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3922441