An example of construal level effects would be that although planning one's next summer vacation one year in advance (in the distant future) will cause one to focus on broad, decontextualized features of the situation (e.g., anticipating fun and relaxation), the very same vacation planned to occur very soon will cause one to focus on specific features of the present situation (e.g. what restaurants to make reservations for, going for a trip in an off-road vehicle).
Considering the desirability of an object, event, or course of action puts more importance on the result and is a high-level construal, or way of thinking.
Considering the feasibility, on the other hand, is more focused on the means or how to get to the result and is a low-level construal, or way of thinking.
This is relevant in case of potential dangers or risks because this mechanism divorces us cognitively from the reality of likely undesirable outcomes.
According to Trope and Liberman, CLT can provide a framework with which to understand the broad array of phenomena described by temporal discounting research.
[9] In one study, it was found that participants who imagined a spatially distant rather than near event (helping a friend move into an apartment 3,000 miles away from where the participant resided, rather than in the local area) preferred to describe the actions associated with the move in terms of high-level states (e.g., "securing the house") rather than low-level means (e.g., "putting a key in the lock").
Participants were then given a list of objects or events that related to that activity (e.g., soap, bathing suit, raft, sneakers, flashlight) and asked to group them into categories.
Also, lack of familiarity (increased social distance) can affect discrimination involving stereotypes, empathy levels, and people's willingness to help this person.
Thus, increasing any type of psychological distance can have negative consequences for relationships between socially distant groups or individuals.
In one study, participants viewed a number of partial pictures paired with ideas of either the near or the distant future.
If an event is close in time, we are more likely to think in terms of concrete low-level construals, making the details more important.
[18] When judging how much time it takes to finish a task, participants in a series of studies thought it would take them more time to complete a task when it was further in the future (temporally distant), posed as hypothetical (hypothetically distant) or when they were primed with abstract ideas beforehand.
When people are categorized in such a way that is distinctly different from oneself (that is, psychologically distant from the self) and are thus viewed in more abstract terms, there tend to be more negative effects.
[2] Generally, when we think of objects, situations, or people in abstract, high-level terms, we tend to categorize them into broader categories (e.g., "kitchenware").
Near-future or low-level construals can oppositely make alternative choices that are hard to accomplish less desirable.
[23] When thinking of investments in a high-level construal, people tend to engage in more risk taking behavior.
In contrast, a less familiar event or person would probably be described in a higher level more abstract manner due to the lack of exposure involved.
Research has demonstrated that those who are primed with the concept of power tend to construe events in a more abstract, high-level manner.
For example, the distance from which people stand from each other when having a conversation, or after initially meeting, can determine the level of politeness displayed.
This can be seen through closer and more intimate relations by hugging or embracing, versus keeping a polite or respectful distance during more formal interactions.
The major issues are often focused on to a greater extent when thinking about the distant future, or with high-level construals.
[32] When looking at negotiations in relation to high-level construal, there were multiple findings that have shown a difference between the future and the present.
More distance between the present and the time when the negotiations take place makes people more willing to come to a joint conclusion and achieve logrolling agreements that maximize the outcomes of both parties.
Lastly, thinking more abstractly about the negotiation in general leads to more compromises and mutually beneficial agreements.
High and low level construals affect the way people consider purchasing items.
Looking at purchasing something from a further distance (high level construal) highlights the central aspects of the item, often making it seem more positive and satisfactory.
Advertisers may use this strategy to persuade consumers to buy the company's products by highlighting the higher level and more central aspects of the item.
This may also have the opposite effect, however, by strengthening their commitment, and this can occur with the added consistency of advertising, and through constantly being reminded of the positive qualities of the product.
[35] Triggering an abstract (high) construal level (e.g., by imagining doing a task next year instead of today) improves performance on several different measures of creativity.
[39] Additional types of psychological distance, aside from those traditionally discussed as part of CLT, have been proposed to explain consumer decisions.