Consideration of Future Consequences Scale – CFC
Measures the extent to which individuals consider the potential distant outcomes of their current behaviors and are influenced by those potential outcomes.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale – CFC was developed by Alan Strathman, Bonita S. Gleicher, David S. Boninger, & C. Scott Edwards (1994). It is designed to measure Consideration of future consequences. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Extremely uncharacteristic, 2 = Somewhat uncharacteristic, 3 = Uncertain, 4 = Somewhat characteristic, 5 = Extremely characteristic.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 12 to 60. Interpretation guidelines:
- Lower consideration of future consequences (Immediate-oriented): 12 – 35
- Higher consideration of future consequences (Future-oriented): 36 – 60
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.