"Federal Reserve Board member Donald L. Kohn said yesterday that central bank officials will look for new ways to convince Americans that inflation will not take off.</br></br>Consumers' and investors' expectations of future inflation have risen slightly in recent months by several measures, raising concerns at the Fed that such perceptions might become self- fulfilling if they embolden businesses to raise prices, encourage shoppers to pay them and prompt workers to demand higher wages.</br></br>Consumers' expectations of future inflation eased a bit in early June from the end of May but remained slightly higher than in April, according to a University of Michigan survey released yesterday.</br></br>""Inflation expectations have come a little bit unhinged,"" Kohn said at an economic conference in Chatham, Mass., according to Bloomberg News. ""It's not a big deal, but it has presented us with some issues.""</br></br>Kohn alluded to Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke's promise to Congress that he would seek the support of his central bank colleagues to adopt a numerical long-term inflation goal, or target, as a way to keep inflation low and stable. For example, the Fed could publicly commit itself to keeping inflation close to 2 percent over two years, or 1 to 2 percent over some period. Currently, the Fed seeks ""price stability,"" or low inflation, but doesn't define it with a number."