Counterfactual thinking has been implicated in mental health in two ways. Against a backdrop of the functional benefits of counterfactual thinking, two distinct types of bias, one liberal and one conservative, are discussed. As was suggested above, the counterfactual logic is closely related to the language of experiments treatment vs. Counterfactual thinking involves examining possible outcomes to events and is often explored in whatif scenarios.
If the commission finds the counterfactual to be significantly more procompetitive than the merger scenario the factual, it would oppose the transaction unless the parties offer adequate remedies. A simulation semantics account of counterfactuals international. Counterfactual thinking and ethical decision making. Counterfactual thinking considering a turning point moment in the past and alternate universes had it not occurred heightens ones perception of the moment as significant, and even fated. The term counterfactual refers to the hypothetical scenario in which the merger would not take place. In functional terms, counterfactual thoughts thus come to mind in response to those experiences where corrective thinking would be most beneficial. Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred. The basic cognitive processes that compute counterfactuals mutate aspects of the mental representation of reality to create an imagined. Mental models and counterfactual thoughts about what. Findings support that subjects were able to transfer regret but not disappointment associated with an actors unethical behavior in. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition.
An improved probabilistic account of counterfactual reasoning. Start studying social cognition exam 1 counterfactual thinking. Counterfactual thinking has a net benefit for the individual. Szpunar department of psychology, harvard university, cambridge, ma 028, united states. Counterfactuality is currently a hotly debated topic. Counterfactual thinking description university of british columbia. The functional theory of counterfactual thinking ncbi. Counterfactual thinking facilitates behavioral intentions. This thesis studied counterfactual thinking as an independent ability but also in.
Both accuracies are similar to the mergedgroup accuracy. This article provides an updated account of the functional theory of counterfactual thinking, suggesting that such thoughts are best explained in terms of their role in behavior regulation and performance improvement. Recent research on counterfactual thinking is discussed in terms of its implications for decision making. These thoughts are usually triggered by negative events that block ones goals and desires. Experience indicates that many students who change answers change to the wrong answer. The authors explain that while this can be positive and affirming, it more commonly engenders regret.
Counterfactual thoughts are defined, especially in psychology. Counterfactual thinking and selfmotives lawrence j. Pdf counterfactuals are thoughts about alternatives to past events, that is, thoughts of what might. Recognizing counterfactual thinking in social media texts. This metaanalysis examined the strength of association between upward counterfactual thinking and depressive symptoms. Pdf the functional theory of counterfactual thinking. In functional terms, counterfactual thoughts thus come to mind in response to those experiences where corrective thinking would. Counterfactual thinking and experiences of regret 1732 words 7 pages.
Those thoughts that identify how an outcome could have been worse e. Org microsoft 1 microsoft way redmond, wa 98052, usa jonas peters. Although participants induced to generate downward counterfactuals report more positive affect than those generating upward or no counterfactual thoughts. Cognition counterfactual thinking flashcards quizlet. In this article, we focus exclusively on counterfactual thinking and regret. You always want creativity to come naturally but sometimes you need to give it a push. Episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual. Counterfactual thinking and decision making springerlink. Counterfactual thinking refers to the mental process by which people consider salient alternatives to the events that actually happened roese, 1997. The second counterfactual, therefore, couldonlybetrueifno. In short, counterfactual thinking is deeply connected to the regulation and coordination of goaldirected behavior.
Counterfactual definition of counterfactual by the free. But this need not be limited to experimental designs, and we argue that observational analyses can emulate, so to speak, such counterfactual logic. Selfhandicapping, excuse making, and counterfactual. Statistical simulation and counterfactual analysis in. This can be so powerful we can change our own memories, adjusting the facts and creating new memories.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What is more, statistical simulations can be put to profit in this. If the commission finds the counterfactual to be significantly more procompetitive than the merger scenario the factual, it would oppose the. Neural correlates of episodic counterfactual thinking. The influence of counterfactual thinking and regret. Counterfactual thinking and the first instinct fallacy. Without counterfactual thinking a person would find it more difficult to avoid. Counterfactual thinking in daily life typically centers on how personal action might have brought about personally important goal academic success, domestic calm, romantic bliss, etc. The authors explore the influence of counterfactual thoughts in triggering the emotions of regret and disappointment in ethical decision making. The chapter provides counterfactuals focus on the ways in which things could have been better and, by way of a contrast effect, could create more negative. The psychology of counterfactual thinking routledge research international series in social psychology 1st edition by david r. Counterfactual thinking cft is a specific type of human thought involving mental representations of alternatives to past situations by perceiving the immediate environment to an imagined perspective 12. Counterfactuals are thoughts about alternatives to past events, that is, thoughts of what might have been.
We tested whether a late development in counterfactual thinking. Its that if only or what if reasoning that we engage in, sometimes rather frequently. The functional theory provides an overarching perspective that illuminates the various demonstrations that have appeared in the literature in recent years. The functional theory of counterfactual thinking aims to answer these and other questions by drawing connections to goal cognition and by specifying distinct functions that counterfactuals may serve, including preparing for goal pursuit and regulating affect. Counterfactual thoughts have a variety of effects on emotions, beliefs, and behavior, with regret being the most common resulting emotion. Consequences for selfesteem and future motivation counterfactual thinking involves thinking about how a past event could have been better or worse. An empirical investigation into the effects of quantitative easing this paper is concerned with ex ante and counterfactual analyses in the case of ex post macroeconometric applications where a single unit is observed before and after a. Counterfactual thinking definition counterfactual thinking focus on how the past might have been, or the present could be, different. What interactive effects appear when the two pathways merge. Realistic versus nonrealistic counterfactual thinking and.
Recognizing counterfactual thinking in social media texts acl. Fortytwo effect sizes from a pooled sample of,168 respondents produced a weighted average effect size of r. Episodic future thinking and episodic counterfactual thinking. Two studies examined the relation between selfesteem and counterfactual thinking consideration of mighthavebeen alternatives to reality. Ss imagined themselves in scenarios with another actor that resulted in either success or failure. Counterfactual thinking and experiences of regret introduction counterfactual thinking is the cognitive process in which individuals can simulate alternative realities, to think about how things could have turned out differently, with statements such as what if and if only. The counterfactual analysis in eu merger control by damien. How women with intimate partner violence ipv reason about others intentions. Counterfactuals may cause decision makers to become liberally biased i. Sanna institute for social research, university of michigan edward c. Counterfactual thinking is literally thinking counter to the facts. Counterfactual thinking and satisfaction among olympic medalists, the researchers explained their findings by reasoning that, for the silver medalist, the obvious counterfactual alternative is capturing the gold.
181 519 1095 1023 929 646 702 462 1280 594 764 1083 74 1359 581 176 1253 1172 1512 520 134 959 1240 119 233 854 1129 976 1012