Does uncontrollability lead to effort avoidance? The role of perceived task load

Experiences of uncontrollability affect the efficiency of cognitive control. However, the underlying reasons for these cognitive after-effects remain unclear. In this research, we take a motivational perspective and test the hypothesis that uncontrollability leads to avoidance of mental effort. We examined this hypothesis in two preregistered experiments, in which we induced uncontrollability by giving participants tasks with action-non-contingent feedback and subsequently measuring effort investment using two different tasks: a Demand Selection Task (DST; Experiment 1, N = 329) and a Voluntary Task Switching procedure (VTS; Experiment 2, N = 358). Overall, both experiments showed that uncontrollability led to effort avoidance, particularly depending on the perceived task load. Additionally, for Voluntary Task Switching, uncontrollability resulted in lower switch rates in the early free-choice trials of the task. These results coincide with our prediction that uncontrollability can drive cognitive effort avoidance, with effects varying based on perceived task load and the type of effort measure used.