Comparability and reliability of techniques to assess personal future extension.
The diversity of existing procedures for assessing personal future time perspective requires that we establish whether the techniques used to operationalize even any one dimension are in fact comparable. A sample of 83 older women (mean age = 74.1 years) responded to a questionnaire containing four different techniques commonly employed for determining personal future extension--how far into the future a person is thinking: (a) open-ended thinking and planning; (b) line-marking; (c) line-drawing; and, (d) life-event listing. Results showed a pattern of correlations suggesting only borderline comparability. Same-session retesting of (a), (b), and (c) revealed relatively high correlations, with the exception of open-ended future planning. Based on these data, caution is advised when selecting a procedure to assess future extension.
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged