The reliability of previous findings on two crucial aspects of counterfactual thinking, namely the content of counterfactual modifications and their impact on future performance, has been questioned for the frequent use of tasks characterised by simple causal domains, that restrict participants’ possibility to consider a broad range of modifications. To overcome this limitation, we utilised a new experimental task featuring a complex causal domain to investigate such key aspects. The results indicated that participants tend to generate counterfactuals about elements outside their control, especially when presented with a challenging version of the task (Study 1a) and, to a lesser extent, when they receive negative feedback on their performance (Study 1b). Moreover, despite occasional implementations of actions mentioned in controllable counterfactuals, being engaged in counterfactual thinking did not lead to subsequent performance improvements (Study 2). The implications of these findings for the debate on the function of counterfactual thinking are discussed.

Counterfactual thoughts in complex causal domain: content, benefits, and implications for their function / Bogani, Alessandro; Tentori, Katya; Ferrante, Donatella; Pighin, Stefania. - In: THINKING AND REASONING. - ISSN 1354-6783. - 2024:(2024), pp. 1-36. [10.1080/13546783.2024.2343455]

Counterfactual thoughts in complex causal domain: content, benefits, and implications for their function

Bogani, Alessandro
Primo
;
Tentori, Katya
Secondo
;
Pighin, Stefania
Ultimo
2024-01-01

Abstract

The reliability of previous findings on two crucial aspects of counterfactual thinking, namely the content of counterfactual modifications and their impact on future performance, has been questioned for the frequent use of tasks characterised by simple causal domains, that restrict participants’ possibility to consider a broad range of modifications. To overcome this limitation, we utilised a new experimental task featuring a complex causal domain to investigate such key aspects. The results indicated that participants tend to generate counterfactuals about elements outside their control, especially when presented with a challenging version of the task (Study 1a) and, to a lesser extent, when they receive negative feedback on their performance (Study 1b). Moreover, despite occasional implementations of actions mentioned in controllable counterfactuals, being engaged in counterfactual thinking did not lead to subsequent performance improvements (Study 2). The implications of these findings for the debate on the function of counterfactual thinking are discussed.
2024
Bogani, Alessandro; Tentori, Katya; Ferrante, Donatella; Pighin, Stefania
Counterfactual thoughts in complex causal domain: content, benefits, and implications for their function / Bogani, Alessandro; Tentori, Katya; Ferrante, Donatella; Pighin, Stefania. - In: THINKING AND REASONING. - ISSN 1354-6783. - 2024:(2024), pp. 1-36. [10.1080/13546783.2024.2343455]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/415230
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