The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: How verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions

Pilar Carrera; Dolores Muñoz; Amparo Caballero; Itziar Fernández; Dolores Albarracín

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.04.001

The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: How verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions

Pilar Carrera, Dolores Muñoz, Amparo Caballero, Itziar Fernández, Dolores Albarracín

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Three studies examined how the use of the present versus the past tense in recalling a past experience influences behavioral intentions. Experiment 1 revealed a stronger influence of past behaviors on drinking intentions when participants self-reported an episode of excessive drinking using the present tense. Correspondingly, there was a stronger influence of attitudes towards excessive drinking when participants self-reported the episode in the past tense. Experiments 2 and 3 liked this effect to changes in construal level (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007; Trope & Liberman, 2003), with the present tense being similar to a concrete construal level and the past tense being similar to an abstract construal level.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1196-1200
Number of pages	5
Journal	Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Volume	48
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.04.001
State	Published - Sep 2012

Keywords

Attitude
Behavioral intentions
Construal level
Past behavior
Verb tense

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

Online availability

10.1016/j.jesp.2012.04.001

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The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: How verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions. / Carrera, Pilar; Muñoz, Dolores; Caballero, Amparo et al.
In: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 48, No. 5, 09.2012, p. 1196-1200.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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abstract = "Three studies examined how the use of the present versus the past tense in recalling a past experience influences behavioral intentions. Experiment 1 revealed a stronger influence of past behaviors on drinking intentions when participants self-reported an episode of excessive drinking using the present tense. Correspondingly, there was a stronger influence of attitudes towards excessive drinking when participants self-reported the episode in the past tense. Experiments 2 and 3 liked this effect to changes in construal level (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007; Trope & Liberman, 2003), with the present tense being similar to a concrete construal level and the past tense being similar to an abstract construal level.",

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author = "Pilar Carrera and Dolores Mu{\~n}oz and Amparo Caballero and Itziar Fern{\'a}ndez and Dolores Albarrac{\'i}n",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci{\'o}n PSI2008-04849 and Ministerio de Econom{\'i}a y Competitividad PSI2011-28720 and by grants from the National Institutes of Health (K02-MH01861 and R01-NR08325). We thank D. Weston for his help in the preparation of the English version of this article. ",

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AU - Fernández, Itziar

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N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PSI2008-04849 and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad PSI2011-28720 and by grants from the National Institutes of Health (K02-MH01861 and R01-NR08325). We thank D. Weston for his help in the preparation of the English version of this article.

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AB - Three studies examined how the use of the present versus the past tense in recalling a past experience influences behavioral intentions. Experiment 1 revealed a stronger influence of past behaviors on drinking intentions when participants self-reported an episode of excessive drinking using the present tense. Correspondingly, there was a stronger influence of attitudes towards excessive drinking when participants self-reported the episode in the past tense. Experiments 2 and 3 liked this effect to changes in construal level (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007; Trope & Liberman, 2003), with the present tense being similar to a concrete construal level and the past tense being similar to an abstract construal level.

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The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: How verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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