Goal characteristics predict the occurrence of goal-related events through belief in future occurrence.

While previous studies have highlighted the role of episodic future thinking in goal pursuit, the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unexplored. Episodic future thinking may promote goal pursuit by shaping the feeling that imagined events will (or will not) happen in the future - referred to as belief in future occurrence. We investigated whether goal self-concordance (Experiment 1) and other goal characteristics identified as influential in goal pursuit (Experiment 2) modulate belief in the future occurrence of goal-related events and predict the actual occurrence of these events. Results showed that goal self-concordance, engagement, and expectancy had an indirect effect on the actual occurrence of events, which was (partially) mediated by belief in future occurrence. The mediating role of belief supports the view that belief in future occurrence when imagining events conveys useful information, allowing us to make informed decisions and undertake adaptive actions in the process of goal pursuit.

Effects of past and future autobiographical thinking on the working self-concept.

While the role of autobiographical memory in self-representation is well established, the identity function of future thinking has received much less attention. Yet, most people commonly imagine future events that convey meaningful information about the person they wish or expect to become. In three experiments, we assessed the extent to which thinking about such self-defining future events influences the current content of self-representation (i.e., the working self-concept). Participants were asked to think about either a past or future self-defining event, or a control topic, before describing aspects of their identity in the form of "I am" statements (Experiments 1 and 3) or completing scales assessing self-related dimensions (Experiments 2 and 3). We found that thinking about a future self-defining event led participants to conceptualise themselves more in terms of their psychological traits, as did thinking about a past self-defining event. Furthermore, thinking about a future self-defining event increased the sense of present-future self-continuity, whereas thinking about a past self-defining event increased the sense of past-present self-continuity. These results suggest that self-representations are fuelled not only by autobiographical memories, but also by projections into the future.

Repeated simulation increases belief in the future occurrence of uncertain events.

The feeling that an imagined event will or will not occur in the future - referred to as belief in future occurrence - plays a key role in guiding our decisions and actions. Recent research suggests that this belief may increase with repeated simulation of future events, but the boundary conditions for this effect remain unclear. Considering the key role of autobiographical knowledge in shaping belief in occurrence, we suggest that the effect of repeated simulation only occurs when prior autobiographical knowledge does not clearly support or contradict the occurrence of the imagined event. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the repetition effect for events that were either plausible or implausible due to their coherence or incoherence with autobiographical knowledge (Experiment 1), and for events that initially appeared uncertain because they were not clearly supported or contradicted by autobiographical knowledge (Experiment 2). We found that all types of events became more detailed and took less time to construct after repeated simulation, but belief in their future occurrence increased only for uncertain events; repetition did not influence belief for events already believed or considered implausible. These findings show that the effect of repeated simulation on belief in future occurrence depends on the consistency of imagined events with autobiographical knowledge.

Retrospective Case Reports of Anemic Pregnant Women Receiving Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose: Experience from a Tertiary Hospital in Spain.

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy call for safe treatment options that raise maternal hemoglobin levels and counterbalance iron demand and blood volume expansion while minimizing risks for the growing fetus. This retrospective study describes experience with intravenous ferric carboxymaltose given to pregnant women in a tertiary hospital in Spain. In a 5-year period, 95 pregnant women who had pretreatment hemoglobin <10 g/dL and at least one time of ferric carboxymaltose administration during pregnancy were included. Main outcome measures were week of pregnancy at iron administration, Hb levels before and after treatment, neonatal 5-minute Apgar scores, and birth weight. The majority received one dose of ferric carboxymaltose (1000 mg iron) during advanced pregnancy (median 31 weeks; interquartile range [IQR]: 27; 37 weeks) with minor to no adverse outcomes. Overall, median Hb increased from 8.5 g/dL (8.1; 8.9 g/dL) before treatment to 11.0 g/dL (9.9; 11.7 g/dL) after treatment. Normal Apgar scores were observed in all 97 infants (median birth weights 3560 g, 3270, and 3798 g). Four women received ferric carboxymaltose in the first trimester and twenty-eight during the second trimester without adverse outcomes for mother or child. These cases add to the evidence that ferric carboxymaltose administration during pregnancy is effective and safe.