Interindividual differences in episodic foresight: The role of personality factors and family context in preschool-aged and primary-school-aged children

Episodic foresight (EFT) helps to anticipate and to prepare for the upcoming opportunities of the 21st century. The present study aimed to investigate how personality, temperament and family context contribute to individual differences in EFT and to an age effect on EFT in N = 162 children aged between 3 and 7 years. In an online-study, parents reported about children's EFT skills (Children's Future Thinking Questionnaire), neuroticism (M5-PS-35), behavioural-inhibition (BIS-BAS Scale), openness to experience (M5-PS-35), family organization and autonomy-support on parental and family level (Parent Behaviours and Dimensions Questionnaire; Family Climate Scale). Higher EFT skills related to higher levels of openness to experience and to higher autonomy-support on the family level. A steeper cross-sectional increase of EFT was linked to lower family organization. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical and empirical past research. Ideas for future studies, possible implications for developmental frameworks of EFT and applied contexts are described.