What happens why? Psychological distance and focusing on causes versus consequences of events
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6205269 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Soyon Rim (0000-0001-7789-7387, New York University), Jochim Hansen (0000-0003-2097-733X, Center for Research in Psychopathology and Clinical Psychology), Yaacov Trope (0000-0003-1448-1960, New York University) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 104 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 457-472 |
| Publication date | 2013-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/a0031024 |
| PMID | 23276264 |
| OpenAlex | W2093348285 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 18 |
| References cited | 42 |
When do people focus more on the causes versus the consequences of events, and how does differential focus affect downstream judgments and choices? Building on construal level theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010), we propose a bidirectional relationship between psychological distance and causal focus, such that distance (vs. proximity) leads to a greater focus on causes (vs. consequences), and likewise, focusing on causes (vs. consequences) leads to greater estimates of psychological distance from events. This should be the case because causes are features of events that are more high-level relative to consequences (as shown in Experiments 1 and 2). We demonstrate that temporal (Experiment 3) and social (Experiment 4) distances lead to a greater tendency to focus on the causes (vs. consequences) of events and that, conversely, thinking about causes (vs. consequences) leads to greater perceptions of temporal (Experiment 5) and spatial (Experiment 6) distances from events. Additionally, we explored some downstream effects of this distance-dependent focus on causes versus consequences for predictive judgments, experiences, and behavioral choice (Experiments 7, 8, and 9). Broader implications of the results for moral decision making, power and leadership, and self-regulation are discussed
Affect (linguistics) · Cognitive psychology · Construal level theory · Focus (optics) · Perception · Perspective (graphical) · Regulatory focus theory · Social distance · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 18 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,38 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |