Abstract
This study examined future-oriented behaviour in children (3-6 years; N = 193) from three diverse societies – one industrialised Western city (Brisbane, Australia) and two small, geographically isolated communities (Indigenous Australians and South African Bushmen). Children had the opportunity to prepare for two alternative versions of an immediate future event. Some 3-year-olds from all cultures performed well, and a majority of the oldest children from each culture prepared for both possibilities on all six trials. Although there were some cultural differences in the youngest age groups that approached ceiling performance, the overall results indicate that children across these communities become able to prepare for alternative futures during early childhood. This acquisition period is therefore not contingent on Western upbringing and may instead indicate normal cognitive maturation.