Construal Level Theory (CLT) proposes that psychological distance—whether temporal, spatial, social, or hypothetical—shapes how people mentally represent objects and events. Specifically, according to CLT, distant objects and events are represented more abstractly (i.e., at a higher construal level), emphasizing their essential features, whereas proximal objects and events are represented more concretely (i.e., at a lower construal level), with greater focus on specific and contextual details. At Scale Lab, we build on CLT to investigate how psychological distance influences learning and generalization processes.
