Spoon-taneous Thoughts: A New Perspective on Children's Episodic Future Thinking as Measured Through Spontaneous Behaviour

Abstract

Episodic future thinking (EFT) allows us to mentally project ourselves forward in time, guiding present actions based on future goals and desired outcomes. While adults regularly engage in such future-oriented behaviour of their own volition, it is less clear to what extent children do the same. This uncertainty stems from a reliance on experimenter-prompted tasks in developmental research, which limits our understanding of children's independent, self-initiated EFT. This dissertation addresses that gap by investigating how children spontaneously engage in future thinking through unprompted, volitional behaviours.

Study 1 introduced a novel experimental paradigm to examine spontaneous preparation for a future event among 4- to 9-year-olds. Findings showed that most children aged five and older prepared spontaneously, while most four-year-olds did not (74%). Notably, executive functioning was not correlated with spontaneous performance, but was correlated with prompted performance, suggesting these behaviours may be supported by distinct cognitive processes.

Study 2 used a naturalistic, parent-report approach to examine the functionality of children's spontaneous future-oriented statements and actions in everyday life. A thematic analysis revealed four key functions: Future-oriented information seeking, Expressing future desires or intentions, Connecting present actions to future outcomes, and Predicting future mental or physiological states. These findings suggest future-oriented information seeking may be a function of future thinking that is unique to childhood.

Study 3 adapted the methodology from Study 2 to a larger sample size and identified five overlapping themes: Future-oriented information seeking, Expressing future desires or intentions, Preparing for the future, Predicting the future, and Optimizing the future. Study 3 also explored what triggered children's spontaneous future-oriented behaviour, with findings suggesting that most instances were internally cued and had been previously observed.

Together, these studies highlight an important and underexplored area of children's cognitive development. They also provide novel, replicable methodologies for investigating spontaneous EFT, opening avenues for future research about how young children use their future thinking in self-directed and everyday contexts.