Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Marlo Friedland, I am from the Washington, D.C area, and I am a freshman in the Honors College at FSU. I am a criminology major and am planning to graduate undergrad in 3 years and receive my Master's degree the fourth year. After receiving these two degrees, I am hoping to do criminal investigative work for the FBI and go to law school. I am very interested in becoming an attorney for an organization that helps exonerate falsely convicted individuals, like the Innocence Project. This is my first year of doing collegiate level research and I am so excited to continue this pursuit throughout my FSU undergraduate career.

Life History Theory and Goal Time Horizons: An evolutionary perspective

Abstract

The current work tests the hypothesis that individuals who perceive higher levels of unpredictability in childhood set goals on shorter time horizons than people who perceived their childhood environments as relatively more predictable. The current research provides evidence for robust associations between perceptions of childhood unpredictability and goal time horizons. The association between unpredictability and goal timing was observed over and above perceptions of childhood harshness, levels of maternal disruption in childhood, current emotional stability, and a range of demographic characteristics. We also examined potential mechanisms for the association between unpredictability and goal time horizons. Participants’ levels of consideration of future consequences mediated the association between perceived childhood unpredictability and goal time horizons. This research adds to a growing body of work interested in understanding how childhood environments have implications for the life trajectory of individuals.

Keywords: Psychology, Life History, Goals