Effects of Psychological Distance on Mental Abstraction: A Registered Report of Four Tests of Construal-Level Theory
Effects of Psychological Distance on Mental Abstraction: A Registered Report of Four Tests of Construal-Level Theory
StatusVoR
Alternative title
Authors
Calderon, Sofia
Giolla, Eric Mac
Ask, Karl
Adler, Susanne Jana
Agerström, Jens
Akpınar, Burcu
Albayrak, Nihan
Alparone, Francesca Romana
Amin, Shahrazad
Aquino, Antonio
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Date
2026-04-16
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Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science
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2
Volume
9
Pages
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1-29
ISSN
2515-2459
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2026-04-16
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
Construal-level theory (CLT) proposes that psychological distance influences the level of abstraction at which something is mentally construed: Things perceived as less probable (likelihood) or further away from the here (spatial distance), now (temporal distance), or self (social distance) are thought about more abstractly. In this international multilab study, we tested four basic hypotheses derived from core assumptions of CLT and explore potential moderators and boundary conditions of the effects. Participants (N = 11,775) from 27 countries and regions were randomly assigned to one of four experimental protocols focused on different types of psychological distance (temporal, spatial, social, or likelihood), and each experiment manipulated psychological distance (close vs. distant). The protocols for temporal distance (n = 2,941) and spatial distance (n = 2,973) were direct replications of Liberman and Trope (Study 1) and Fujita et al. (Study 1), respectively. The remaining two protocols were paradigmatic replications, applying to social distance (n = 2,926) and likelihood (n = 2,936). The effects of psychological distance on construal level for the four present studies were as follows (positive effects are consistent with hypotheses): temporal, d = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.003, 0.16] (effect in original study: d = 0.92); spatial, d = 0.04, 95% CI = [−0.03, 0.11] (effect in original study: d = 0.55); social, d = −0.27, 95% CI = [−0.34, −0.19]; and likelihood, d = 0.03, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.11]. Pretests indicated that valence and abstraction were confounded in response options on the outcome measure. Controlling for this confound eliminated the hypothesis-inconsistent effect of social distance, d = 0.006, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.07]. These findings provide limited evidence for the predictions of the theory and present a critical challenge for CLT.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
construal-level theory
mental abstraction
psychological distance
replication
multilab
open data
open materials
preregistration
mental abstraction
psychological distance
replication
multilab
open data
open materials
preregistration
Keywords other
Sustainable Development Goals
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