Domain-specific Consideration of Future Consequences: Further Evidence Using Academic Attainment Data

ABSTRACT

A number of recent studies have demonstrated that adolescents consider the future consequences (CFC) of behaviours domain-specifically. In other words, rather than being a “future orientated person,” it appears that the orientation varies within individuals, depending on the domain in question. The present study matched data gathered in Scottish school children (N = 451) on consideration of four future domains (Health and Well-being, Finances, Academics, and Global Warming) with sociodemographic and academic attainment data provided by Local Government. Results showed that deprivation was significantly related to academic attainment, and that this relationship was partially mediated by the combined effects of academic self-efficacy and on consideration of future consequences—academic. Further, domain specificity was supported by the fact that scores for consideration of future consequences—health and well-being,—finance, and—global warming did not partially mediate the deprivation-attainment relationship. The study identifies two variables which may contribute to closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

KEYWORDS:

• Consideration of future consequences
• domain specific
• academic self-efficacy
• attainment
• Scotland

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Maura Kearney and Michele McClung for their assistance with this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was conducted as part of the STAMPP trial which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research (NIHR PHR) Programme (project grant number 10/3002/09). This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

Notes on contributors

Michael T. McKay

Michael T. McKay is a post-Doctoral Researcher at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Michael has previously managed a Randomised Controlled Trial, which examined the efficacy of a combined classroom- and community-based alcohol intervention. Michael has also managed to completion, a number of other longitudinal studies, mainly focussed on adolescent development and/or addictive behaviours.

John L. Perry

John L. Perry is current Acting Dean of Arts at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, where until recently, he was Head of the Department of Psychology. John's research interests include personality, psychometrics, stress, mental toughness, sport psychology, and temporal psychology.

Frank C. Worrell

Frank C. Worrell is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His areas of research interest include at-risk youth, cultural identities, scale development and validation, talent development, and time perspective. Dr. Worrell is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Educational Recolesearch Association, and the American Psychological Association, and a member of the National Academy of Education.

Jon C. Cole

Professor Jon Cole is the group lead for the Tactical Decision Making Research Group at the University of Liverpool. His main areas of interests are conflict psychology, temporal psychology, decision making, and prevention science. Jon did his PhD on the psychopharmacology of animal defensive behaviour as a model of human anxiety.