Temporal Construal Theory

Definition

Temporal construal theory is a general theoretical framework that describes the effects of psychological distance on thinking, decision making, and behavior. Psychologically distant objects and events are those beyond one's direct experience of the here and now and can be distant on a number of dimensions: time, space, social distance (self vs. other, ingroup vs. outgroup), and hypotheticality. A central proposition of temporal construal theory is that psychologically distant objects or events evoke mental representations, or construals, that capture the general and essential features of the objects or events (i.e., high-level construals), whereas psychologically near objects or events bring to mind unique, concrete, and incidental features (i.e., low-level construals). The activation of highversus low-level construals produces systematic differences in individuals' understanding of objects and events, leading to changes in evaluation, judgment, and action.

Background

Temporal construal theory (also referred to as construal level theory) was originally proposed by Nira Liberman and Yaacov Trope as an integrative framework for understanding the effects of time on decision making and behavior. Objects and events, however, can be distant not only in time but also in space, social distance, and hypotheticality. As such, the theory has since been expanded beyond time to incorporate these other dimensions of psychological distance. The term construal refers to the construction of knowledge structures that represent objects or events in an individual's mind (i.e., how information is processed so that an individual can think about and understand an object or event).

When objects and events are psychologically distant, less information is known about them. An individual can learn about a dog, but without direct experience, there is little to distinguish this particular dog from other dogs. Without such information, individuals can only think of objects and events in broad, general terms (i.e., high-level construals). Thus, the individual might know that the dog has four furry legs and barks. As the objects and events become more psychologically near, direct experience of these objects and events becomes increasingly available. This allows individuals to think about objects and events in more concrete details, highlighting their specific, unique, incidental features (low-level construals). Through more direct experience, for example, an individual might learn about the unique properties or characteristics of a dog: the breed, specific coloration, or temperament. This association between the psychological distance of an object and its corresponding level of construal is thought to be so ingrained that respective construals are activated even when all necessary information is available. That is, even if an individual knows that a dog is called Fluffy and is a white poodle, when the dog is psychologically distant (e.g., far away in time or space), the individual is more likely to think of the dog as a furry animal with four legs rather than as Fluffy.

As highand low-level construals bring to mind different features of objects and events, they can systematically change individuals' decisions and behavior. They can focus individuals on contrasting aspects of a situation and lead to very different evaluations and judgments of the same thing. Going on a vacation in the abstract (high-level construal) may evoke images of the beach and pleasant company. When psychologically distant, going on a vacation should therefore engender positive feelings. Going on a vacation, however, more concretely (low-level construal) entails making plans, dealing with travel agencies, and having to bear the inconveniences of traveling. Thus, when psychologically near, going on a vacation may [Page 972]evoke more negative evaluations. Hence, psychological distance, through the activation of different levels of construal, plays an important role in human decision making and behavior.

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