The Psychology of Counterfactual Thinking
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Kontrafaktisches Denken bezeichnet die mentale Konstruktion von Alternativen zu vergangenen Ereignissen. Dieser Artikel soll einen Überblick über die psychologischen Grundlagen kontrafaktischen Denkens gewähren. Die Autoren zeigen wie solche Gedanken bestimmte Emotionen wecken und uns im alltäglichen Leben zum Vorteil gereichen können. Zwei bestimmte psychologische Mechanismen - der contrast und der causal inference effect - erklären viele der von Psychologen beobachteten Effekte kontrafaktischen Denkens. Abschließend zeigen sie, wie und warum kontrafaktische Alternativen sowohl in erklärenden wie auch in fiktionalen Zusammenhängen (z.B. in der alternate history) eindringlich und unterhaltsam sein können.
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During CFR, mental representations that are explicitly contrary to facts or beliefs are imagined.
“During CFR, mental representations that are explicitly contrary to facts or beliefs are imagined (Roese & Morrison, 2009).”
From A plausible role of imagination in pretend play, counterfactual reasoning, and executive functions (2023) · cites this paper as Roese & Morrison, 2009
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- Authors
- Roese, N. J., & Morrison, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Venue
- GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
- Publisher
- GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
- Published
- 2009
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 16-26
- OpenAlex
- W1641352344
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- de
- Open access
- green
- www.ssoar.info
- Licence
- Locations
- Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Historical social research (cc-by)
- Historical social research
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Narrative Theory and Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge
- Keywords
- counterfactual reasoning, counterfactual emotions, contrast effects, causal inference, alternative history, fiction, everyday life, psychological mechanisms
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