anticipation

Anticipation, in psychology, is the act of looking forward to a future event. It involves expecting or believing something will happen. This can range from positive expectations, like anticipating a job offer, to more negative ones, such as dread or apprehension.12

In the context of psychomotor learning, anticipation plays a role in reaction times. If a person expects a delay between stimuli, they may be unprepared if the second stimulus arrives sooner. Performance can also be affected by uncertainty about the type or timing of stimuli. However, with practice, individuals can learn to anticipate stimuli and improve their ability to handle multiple inputs without a loss of proficiency.3

Anticipatory anhedonia is a related concept where individuals do not experience pleasure in looking forward to an activity, leading to a diminished desire to participate.4