Based on the ABC model, which postulates that behavior (B) is a product of the interaction between attitudinal variables (A) and contextual factors (C), we studied the influence of social context on the effects of consideration of future consequences (CFC) within the framework of decision making about a pro-environmental behavior. The role of the external situation on the relationship between CFC and the studied behavior was observed through three types of situation: No-communication, persuasive communication and binding communication. The results showed a global effect of CFC on decision making with a moderating effect of the context: CFC had no effect in the least favoring condition (no-communication) nor in the most favoring condition (binding communication). We only observed an effect of CFC in the intermediate condition (persuasive communication). These results confirm the ABC model and highlight the value of taking account of the contextual factors in studying a psychological variable such as CFC.
According to recent research, a future time orientation is associated with an increased incidence of pro-environmental behaviors (Milfont and Gouveia, 2006 and Rabinovich et al., 2010). This could be explained by the fact that the uncertainties associated with environmental issues (the extent of climatic disturbance, the depletion of natural resources, demographic growth, etc.) necessarily involve expectations and projections into the future (Joireman, 2005). Indeed, behaviors affecting the environment have, for the most part, a deferred impact whose consequences are not felt until several decades later (Kollmus and Agyeman, 2002 and Milfont, 2010).
1.1. Consideration of future consequences and the environment
Individuals differ in the way in which they foresee the consequences of their acts, some focusing on the long term consequences, while others do not see beyond the immediate consequences. Based on this observation, Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger, and Scott Edwards (1994) developed the concept of consideration of future consequences (CFC) and its associated measurement scale (Strathman et al., 1994). Individuals who obtained a high score on the CFC1 scale (“high CFCs”) were more concerned about environmental problems, had pro-environmental attitudes, and stated that they either followed, or intended to follow to a greater extent, “eco-friendly” patterns of behavior (Ebreo and Vining, 2001, Joireman et al., 2001, Joireman et al., 2004 and Strathman et al., 1994). In addition, high CFCs tend to be more cooperative and to take the collective interest more into account in experimental dilemma situations where they have to manage fictitious natural resources (Joireman et al., 2009, Kortenkamp and Moore, 2006 and Strathman et al., 1994).
