THE CONSIDERATION OF FUTURE CONSEQUENCES - WEIGHING IMMEDIATE AND DISTANT OUTCOMES OF BEHAVIOR

We propose a new construct called consideration of future consequences (CFC), which is hypothesized to be a stable individual difference in the extent to which people consider distant versus immediate consequences of potential behaviors. Following a description of the construct itself, a measure of this individual difference is developed and validated. Data collected from 7 samples of college students indicates that the measure has acceptable reliability and validity. In addition, evidence of the role of CFC in regulating affective responses to negative events is reviewed. The utility of the CFC construct is demonstrated in 2 studies. The 1st study shows that CFC affects the extent to which individuals are influenced by a persuasive communication; the 2nd demonstrates that CFC predicts health and environmental behaviors better than do other related constructs. Areas of application and future research are discussed.