Episodic future thinking.
Thinking about the future is an integral component of human cognition - one that has been claimed to distinguish us from other species. Building on the construct of episodic memory, we introduce the concept of 'episodic future thinking': a projection of the self into the future to pre-experience an event. We argue that episodic future thinking has explanatory value when considering recent work in many areas of psychology: cognitive, social and personality, developmental, clinical and neuropsychology. Episodic future thinking can serve as a unifying concept, connecting aspects of diverse research findings and identifying key questions requiring further reflection and study.
Atance
Cristina M.
CM
University of Washington, Center for Mind, Brain and Learning, 458 Fisheries Center, Box 357988; 98195,., Seattle, WA, USA
O'Neill
Daniela K.
DK