mindtime - destined to become the dominant theory of individual differences in psychology

THINKING PERSPECTIVE AND THINKING STYLE

The Theory

Research in the area of cognitive, comparative, and evolutionary psychology has provided converging evidence for the validity of the Theory of MindTime. The reader is directed to our ‘Science’ page for more information.

- The reader is referred to our own published papers on the topic (Fortunato & Furey, 2009, 2010a, in press: 2010b). In addition, we have two papers in preparation.

- In addition, the reader is referred to research by Suddendorf and colleagues (Suddendorf, 1999; Suddendorf & Busby, 2003, 2005; Suddendorf & Corballis, 1997, 2007) and by Liberman, Trope, and colleagues (Förster, Friedman, & Liberman, 2004; Liberman & Trope, 1998; Trope & Liberman, 2003, 2010).

The Measure

Several studies have been conducted involving the development and validation of the TimeStyle Inventory (also known as the MindTime Profile.) The reader is referred to Fortunato and Furey (2009, 2010a, 2010b: in press) as well as Fortunato and Furey (2010c, 2010d). Table 1 (below) summarizes the construct validity evidence reported in the above studies. Figures 1 through 4 visually depict how individuals scored on measures of the Big Five personality traits, Time Orientation (see Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999), and measures of Psychological Well-ness and Psychological Strain based on their TimeStyle.

Fields of research

We are dedicated to a collaborative research program. We readily grant permission for our scientific data and the Time Style Inventory to be used by other researchers under license. In the coming years it is our intention to further our research in the fields of:

Education
Career development
Organizational development (recruitment, team formation, management, leadership, role identification, collaboration, communication)
Internet analytics (behavior)
Health care and wellness programs (adoption)
Clinical psychology
Marketing and advertising (engagement, insight, messaging, segmentation, design, persona development)
Internet Search technologies
Social network behaviors
Conflict resolution (unpacking disagreement)
Problem solving (Solution Focus)
Brain science

Applications

Commercial applications involving the Theory of MindTime and the TimeStyle Inventory involve the following:

Predicting consumer behavior, product preferences, and Internet usage
Predicting job and career satisfaction and job performance
Predicting team effectiveness
Predicting academic achievement
Mapping organizations as thinking systems
Modeling organizations to predict impact of change
Mapping markets, constituencies, and communities
Mapping and providing applications to Social Networks
Understanding social media adoption and use
Behavioral data analysis
Design marketing messaging and advertising (MindTime Design Principles)
Design of content (MindTime Design Principles)

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chart 5

References

Förster, J., Friedman, R. S., & Liberman, N. (2004). Temporal construal effects on abstract and concrete thinking: Consequences for insight and creative cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 177-189.

1Fortunato, V. J., & Furey, J. T. (2009). The Theory of MindTime and the relationships between thinking perspective and the Big Five personality traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 241-246.

2Fortunato, V. J. & Furey, J. (2010a). The Theory of MindTime and the Relationships between Thinking Perspective and Time Perspective. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 436-441.

3Fortunato, V. J. & Furey, J. (2010b: in press). The theory of MindTime: The relationships between Future, Past, and Present thinking and Psychological Well-being and distress. Personality and Individual Differences

4Fortunato, V. J. & Furey, J. (2010c). The theory of MindTime and an examination of thinking style differences as a function of TimeStyle: A Profile Approach. Manuscript in preparation.

Fortunato, V. J. & Furey, J. (2010d). The theory of MindTime and an examination of TimeStyle differences on measures of the Big Five personality traits, time perspective, and psychological orientation and distress: A profile approach Manuscript in preparation.

Liberman, N., & Trope, Y. (1998). The role of feasibility and desirability considerations in near and distant future decisions: A test of temporal construal theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 5-18.

Suddendorf, T. (1999). The rise of the metamind. In M. C. Corballis & S. E. G. Lea (Eds.) The descent of mind: Psychological perspectives on hominid evolution (pp. 218-60). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Suddendorf, T., & Busby, J. (2003) Mental time travel in animals? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 391-396.

Suddendorf, T., & Busby, J. (2005). Making decisions with the future in mind: Developmental and comparative identification of mental time travel. Learning and Motivation 36, 110-125.

Suddendorf, T., & Corballis, M. C. (1997). Mental time travel and the evolution of the human mind. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 123, 133-167.

Suddendorf, T., & Corballis, M. C. (2007). The evolution of foresight: What is mental time travel, and is it unique to humans? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 30, 299-313.

Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2003). Temporal construal. Psychological Review, 110, 403-421.

Trope, Y., & Liberman, N. (2010). Construal-level theory of psychological distance. Psychological Review, 117, 440-463.