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Related Concept Videos

Counterfactual Thinking01:19

Counterfactual Thinking

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Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in...
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Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
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Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

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In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
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Magical Thinking01:29

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Magical thinking encompasses the belief in assumptions that defy logical reasoning yet appear intuitively convincing. It is a common psychological phenomenon that persists across various cultural and individual contexts. While these assumptions contradict empirical evidence and scientific laws, they often serve meaningful psychological roles in promoting emotional resilience and a sense of control, especially under stress or uncertainty.Thought-Action Fusion and the Law of SimilarityA key...
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Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 7, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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Future-oriented mental time travel and self-reinforcement.

Ekrem Dere1

  • 1Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-University Bochum.

Psychological Review
|April 6, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Future-oriented mental time travel, or thinking about the future, helps people plan and succeed. This study introduces the self-reinforcement hypothesis to explain differences between proactive and spontaneous individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Future-oriented mental time travel (FMTT) is crucial for adaptability, predictability, and success.
  • Interindividual differences exist between proactive planners and spontaneous individuals.
  • The underlying mechanisms of these differences remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present the self-reinforcement hypothesis of FMTT.
  • To explain interindividual differences in future-oriented behavior based on learning theory.
  • To explore potential neurophysiological substrates and propose experimental validation.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical framework development (self-reinforcement hypothesis).
  • Literature review on behaviorist learning theory and FMTT.

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  • Conceptualization of neurophysiological correlates.
  • Proposal of experimental proof-of-concept approaches.

    • Main Results:

    • The self-reinforcement hypothesis offers a novel explanation for FMTT differences.
    • Behaviorist principles suggest self-reinforcement shapes future-oriented actions.
    • Potential neurophysiological markers for FMTT are discussed.

    Conclusions:

    • The self-reinforcement hypothesis provides a testable framework for understanding FMTT.
    • This approach integrates learning theory with cognitive and neuroscientific perspectives.
    • Further experimental research is needed to validate the proposed mechanisms.