Introduction to the Special Issue: The Science of Prospection

Abstract

Psychology's main theories explain human behavior by pointing to the past: childhood experiences, socialization, reinforcement history. Yet recent evidence has suggested that people do not spend much time actively thinking about the past. The articles in this special issue reflect a growing sentiment that prospection should be a central focus of psychology. They are about 2 central themes: prediction and pragmatic planning. Prediction studies are largely about when people make predictions and their accuracy (including what mistakes people make). Pragmatic planning, which from evolutionary standpoints might be the more common and basic form of thinking about the future, involves anticipating ..