Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2015
The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFC-S) is a measure of the extent to which individuals reflect and are influenced by the immediate as well as by the distant outcomes of current behavior. It´s composed by 12 items, grouped into two subscales (future and immediate). This study aims to explore the factor structure, psychometric properties and construct validity of the Portuguese version of the CFC-S in 5 samples, composed by 527 participants with ages between 13 and 71. A 2 factor structure has been found through Confirmatory Factor Analysis among several tested models. Item 5 has been eliminated in order to achieve better fit indices (χ2 df = 3.88, CFI = .90, GFI = .95, RMSEA = .07) and improve internal consistency. Both CFC subscales presented strong correlations with several psychological phenomena (Sensation Seeking, Self-Esteem, Temporal Extension and Time Perspective) and main effects among groups of age and criminal record (for CFC-I, p < .001, for CFC-F, p < .001). These results allow us to support CFC as an efficient psychological evaluation instrument and as an important metric for individual differences in the study of temporal orientation.