ABSTRACT
Planning can vary from simple considerations of “what to do next” to exceedingly complex thought and action sequences that might require months or even years to complete. Yet, all planning activities have something in common. They are based on conceptualizations of the current environment. They are teleological. They anticipate a reality that does not yet (or does not yet quite) exist. They control cognitions and behaviors that are oriented toward goal attainment, involving both thought and action (cf. Scholnick & Friedman, 1987). In addition, planning requires the utilization of the time dimension by interconnecting the present with the future: Planning involves present cognitions and actions that are designed to attain a future outcome or, at least, planning requires “waiting” for an anticipated outcome that may occur in and of itself.
