This is also known as the Endowed Progress Effect. A paper from 2006 discusses it in a fairly easy to read format. Extract: "This research documents a phenomen

This is also known as the Endowed Progress Effect. A paper from 2006 discusses it in a fairly easy to read format. Extract: "This research documents a phenomenon we call the endowed progress effect whereby people provided with artificial advancement towards a goal exhibit greater persistence towards reaching the goal. By converting a task requiring eight steps into a task requiring 10 steps, but with two steps already complete, the task is reframed as one that has been undertaken and incomplete rather than not yet begun. This increases the likelihood of task completion and decreases completion time. The effect appears to depend on perceptions of task completion rather than a desire to avoid wasting the endowed progress. Moderators include the reason, if any, offered for the endowment, and the currency in which progress is recorded." PDF is available here: https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/files/?whdmsaction=public:main.file&fileID=283 https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/files/?whdmsaction=publi...