Two Factor Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFC-14)

Background:

The consideration of future consequences scale was developed by Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger & Edwards (1994). The original items on the scale are items 1-12. Most research using the CFC scale has treated it as a uni-dimensional construct. Internal reliability for the overall, 12-item scale is high (typically ranging from .80 to .85) with a five-week temporal stability of .72 (Strathman et al., 1994) (for a recent review of the CFC literature, see Joireman, Strathman, & Balliet, 2006). While the internal reliability of the overall scale is quite high, recent research suggests the scale contains two subscales, one tapping consideration of immediate consequences (CFC-I), the other tapping consideration of future consequences (CFC-F) (Joireman, Balliet, Sprott, Spangenberg, & Schultz, 2008). More recently, the CFC scale has been expanded to a 14-item scale (with 2 new future items to improve the reliability of the CFC-Future subscale) (Joireman, Shaffer, Balliet, & Strathman, 2012). Also, while the original used a 5-point scale, to create more variance the Two Factor Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC-14) uses a 7-point scale.

Psychometrics:

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the revised CFC-14 scale supported the presence of two highly reliable factors (CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate; alphas from .80 to .84). Moreover, structural equation modeling showed that those high in CFC-Future engage in exercise and healthy eating because they adopt a promotion orientation.

Author of Tool:

Jeff Joireman, Monte J. Shaffer, Daniel Balliet and Alan Strathman

Key references:

Primary use / Purpose:

Measures individual differences in considerations of future consequences. Subscales assess concern with future consequences (CFC-Future) and concern with immediate consequences (CFC-Immediate)

Consideration of Future Consequences-14 Scale*

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1. I consider how things might be in the future and try to influence those things with my day-to-day behavior. (F)
2. Often, I engage in a particular behavior in order to achieve outcomes that may not result for many years. (F)
3. I only act to satisfy immediate concerns, figuring the future will take care of itself. (I)
4. My behavior is only influenced by the immediate (i.e., a matter of days or weeks) outcomes of my actions. (I)
5. My convenience is a big factor in the decisions I make or the actions I take. (I)
6. I am willing to sacrifice my immediate happiness or well-being in order to achieve future outcomes. (F)
7. I think it is important to take warnings about negative outcomes seriously even if the negative outcome will not occur for many years. (F)
8. I think it is more important to perform a behavior with important distant consequences than a behavior with less important immediate consequences. (F)
9. I generally ignore warnings about possible future problems because I think the problems will be resolved before they reach crisis level. (I)
10. I think that sacrificing now is usually unnecessary since future outcomes can be dealt with at a later time. (I)
11. I only act to satisfy immediate concerns, figuring that I will take care of future problems that may occur at a later date. (I)
12. Since my day-to-day work has specific outcomes, it is more important to me than behavior that has distant outcomes. (I)
13. When I make a decision, I think about how it might affect me in the future. (F)
14. My behavior is generally influenced by future consequences.(F)

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Note. Strathman et al.’s(1994)  original CFC scale = items 1-12. CFC-14 Scale Instructions: “For each of the statements shown, please indicate whether or not the statement is characteristic of you.  If the statement is extremely uncharacteristic of you (not at all like you) please write a “1” in the space provided to the right of the statement; if the statement is extremely characteristic of you (very much like you) please write a “7” in the space provided.  And, of course, use the numbers in the middle if you fall between the extremes.”

• F = CFC-Future subscale item.
• I = CFC-Immediate subscale item.

Reference for CFC-14 Scale:

 

Brief History and Notes on the CFC Scale:

The consideration of future consequences scale was developed by Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger & Edwards (1994). The original items on the scale are items 1-12. Most research using the CFC scale has treated it as a uni-dimensional construct. Internal reliability for the overall, 12-item scale is high (typically ranging from .80 to .85) with a five-week temporal stability of .72 (Strathman et al., 1994) (for a recent review of the CFC literature, see Joireman, Strathman, & Balliet, 2006).

While the internal reliability of the overall scale is quite high, recent research suggests the scale contains two subscales, one tapping consideration of immediate consequences (CFC-I), the other tapping consideration of future consequences (CFC-F) (Joireman, Balliet, Sprott, Spangenberg, & Schultz, 2008).

More recently, the CFC scale has been expanded to a 14-item scale (with 2 new future items to improve the reliability of the CFC-Future subscale) (Joireman, Shaffer, Balliet, & Strathman, 2012).

Shown below are instructions for computing the two subscales and the overall CFC scale score.

Note on Scoring:

CFC-Immediate Sub-Scale: cfc3, cfc4, cfc5, cfc9, cfc10, cfc11, cfc12

CFC-Future Sub-Scale: cfc1, cfc2, cfc6, cfc7, cfc8, cfc13, cfc14

CFC-Total Scale: recode the immediate items (3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12), then average these recoded items with the future items (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14).

References