Effects of Psychological Distance on Mental Abstraction

Author(s): Sofia Calderon, Erik Mac Giolla, Karl Ask, Susanne Jana Adler, Jens Agerström, Burcu Akpınar, Nihan Albayrak, Francesca Romana Alparone, Shahrazad Amin, Antonio Aquino, Melissa Bachet, Baisile Baisile, Karin M. Bausenhart, Magali Beylat, Olga Bialobrzeska, Eliana C. Bloomfield, Lea Boecker, Matteo Bonora, Shannon T. Brady, Jared G. Branch, Nicole E. Brandy, Kelley T. Bui, Mariela Bustos-Ortega, Amparo Caballero, Andi Cai, Katarzyna Cantarero, Stephanie A. Cárdenas, Pilar Carrera, Jung Tzu Chang, Hsuan Fu Chao, Andrew G. Christy, Jennifer A. Cook, Junhua Dang, Scott Danielson, William E. Davis, Cara de Boer, Elise de Groot, Jaye L. Derrick, Sarah Dittmar, Tim Döring, Céline Douilliez, Martin Egger, Yannik A. Escher, Thomas Rhys Evans, Sofia Fabiani, Gilad Feldman, Nicole Fernandez, Julia Fischer, Magdalena Formanowicz, Malte Friese, Paul T. Fuglestad, Aurore Gaboriaud, Jessica Gale, Richard Gamrát, Oliver Genschow, Omid Ghasemi, Mauro Giacomantonio, Karolin Gieseler, Hedy Greijdanus, Siobhán Mary Griffin, Doğa Gül, Gul Gunaydin, Simona Haasova, Georgios Halkias, Christopher E. Hawk, Anna Helfers, Cindy L. Hernandez, Yanine D. Hess, Petr J. Horgos, Yehor Hrymchak, Markus Huff, Ezgi Ildırım, Biljana Jokić, Yoann Julliard, Pavol Kacˇmár, Barbara Kaup, Hyunji Kim, Kyungmi Kim, Alan Kingstone, Kenan Koç, Lina Koppel, Anita Körner, Bibiána Kovácˇová Holevová, Paul Danielle Labor, Bronwyn D. Laforet, Fanny Lalot, Leonie Lamm, Sean M. Laurent, Sean T.H. Lee, Yi Chen Lee, Edward P. Lemay, Zhicheng Lin, Yun Kai Lin, Jia Xin Long, David D. Loschelder, Katerina Makri, Harry Manley, Nicolò Maugeri, Randy J. McCarthy, Cillian McHugh, Katarzyna Miazek, Marina Milyavskaya, Coby Morvinski, Michaela Muchová, Sümeyye Muftareviç, Dominique Muller, Gideon Nave, Ben R. Newell, Cécile Nurra, Marc Ouellet, Asil Ali Özdoğru, Mia Pagnani, Daniele Paolini, Frank Papenmeier, Hannes M. Petrowsky, Stefan Pfattheicher, Jean C. Picado, Ryan M. Pickering, Danka Purić, Alain Quiamzade, Jonathan E. Ramsay, Tristan Nicholas Renaud, Mónica Romero-Sánchez, Robert M. Ross, Ángel Sánchez-Rodríguez, Julio Santiago, Marko Sarstedt, Luke Scally, Michele Scandola, Judith P.M. Schachtner, Simon Schindler, Andreas Segerberg, Emre Selcuk, Verónica Sevillano, Edith Shalev, Xiaoyi Shao, Steven D. Shaw, Keyi Shi, Birte Siem, Pablo Solana, Meikel Soliman, Gaye Solmazer, Fatih Sonmez, Samantha K. Stanley, Janina Steinmetz, Adam W. Stivers, Aleksandra Szymkow, Maude Tagand, Yan Zhen Tan, Hilal Terzi, Miaomiao Tian, Gustav Tinghög, Ulrich S. Tran, David F. Urschler, Daniel R. VanHorn, Daniel Västfjäll, Bruno Verschuere, Amelie Verschueren, Anna Laura Vlad, Martin Voracek, Xiaotian Wang, Deming Wang, Lara Warmelink, Adam Kah Jjin Wee, Aaron Lee Wichman, Sera Wiechert, Karl Andrew Woltin, Hoo Keat Wong, Jiawen Xu, Zai Fu Yao, Siu Kit Yeung, Kumar Yogeeswaran, Iris Žeželj, Qing Zhang, Rene Ziegler, Timothy J. Luke
Abstract: Construal-level theory (CLT) proposes that psychological distance influences the level of abstraction at which something is mentally construed: Things perceived as less probable (likelihood) or further away from the here (spatial distance), now (temporal distance), or self (social distance) are thought about more abstractly. In this international multilab study, we tested four basic hypotheses derived from core assumptions of CLT and explore potential moderators and boundary conditions of the effects. Participants (N = 11,775) from 27 countries and regions were randomly assigned to one of four experimental protocols focused on different types of psychological distance (temporal, spatial, social, or likelihood), and each experiment manipulated psychological distance (close vs. distant). The protocols for temporal distance (n = 2,941) and spatial distance (n = 2,973) were direct replications of Liberman and Trope (Study 1) and Fujita et al. (Study 1), respectively. The remaining two protocols were paradigmatic replications, applying to social distance (n = 2,926) and likelihood (n = 2,936). The effects of psychological distance on construal level for the four present studies were as follows (positive effects are consistent with hypotheses): temporal, d = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.003, 0.16] (effect in original study: d = 0.92); spatial, d = 0.04, 95% CI = [−0.03, 0.11] (effect in original study: d = 0.55); social, d = −0.27, 95% CI = [−0.34, −0.19]; and likelihood, d = 0.03, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.11]. Pretests indicated that valence and abstraction were confounded in response options on the outcome measure. Controlling for this confound eliminated the hypothesis-inconsistent effect of social distance, d = 0.006, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.07]. These findings provide limited evidence for the predictions of the theory and present a critical challenge for CLT.
Organisation(s): Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Postgraduate Program Management - Team 1, Department of Marketing and International Business, Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Max Perutz Labs - 743
External organisation(s): University of Gothenburg, Atlantic Technological University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Linnaeus University, Boğaziçi University (BU), The London School of Economics and Political Science, Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia (UBC), Università degli Studi „Magna Graecia“ di Catanzaro, Lancaster University, University of Utah, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Université catholique de Louvain, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wesleyan University, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Sapienza University of Rome, Wake Forest University, North Central College, Purchase College, State University of New York, Universidad de Burgos, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Bucknell University, National Tsing Hua University, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), University of Canterbury, Wittenberg University, Maastricht University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam (UvA), University of Houston, University of Greenwich, Università degli Studi di Verona, University of Hong Kong, University Hospital Regensburg, Universität des Saarlandes, University of North Florida, University of Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie-Mont-Blanc, Université de Lausanne, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, University of New South Wales, University of Groningen, University of Limerick, Sabanci University, Copenhagen Business School, DigiPen Institute of Technology, Universität Kassel, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Istinye University, University of Belgrade, Singidunum University, Utrecht University, Muş Alparslan University, Linköping University, University of the Philippines Diliman, Universität Basel, Pennsylvania State University, James Cook University, Chung Yuan Christian University, University of Maryland, College Park, Yonsei University, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), HELP University, Northern Illinois University, Carleton University Ottawa, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, University of Pennsylvania, Universidad de Granada, Marmara University, International University Line of Firenze, Aarhus University, Allegheny College, Université de Genève, UniDistance Switzerland, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Universidad de Salamanca, Babeș-Bolyai University, Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences, Open University of Israel, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Washington University in St. Louis, Izmir University Bakırcay, University of London, Gonzaga University, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Middle East Technical University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Shandong Youth University of Political Sciences, HSD Hochschule Döpfer, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Zhejiang University (ZJU), Sunway University, Western Kentucky University, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Chinese University of HongKong, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Journal: Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science
Volume: 9
ISSN: 2515-2459
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/25152459251401177
Publication date: 04-2026
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 501021 Social psychology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Psychology
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/12a01692-770b-4ee8-b85c-06a22ada2787