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Gaining Control through Counterfactual Thinking

University of Notre Dame, Altobello.1{at}nd.edu

Kerry L. Marsh

Syracuse University, kmarsh{at}nd.edu

The control-gaining influence of counterfactual thought was examined in a month-long study of real-life exam performances. Participants were contacted immediately after receiving a test grade, the day before their next test, and right after receiving their second grade. Previous research has proposed that upward counterfactuals lead to improved future performance. The present study aimed to identify mediators of this process. Participants who generated more upward counterfactuals were predicted to perceive enhanced control over the environment and to engage in more action on their environment. Subsequent test performance should thus improve. Results showed that the tendency to generate upward counterfactuals was correlated with later changes in circumstances, which in turn, was associated with higher perceptions of control; control perceptions were correlated with better subsequent grades. Implications of results for social cognition, action, and control processes are discussed.

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 5, 557-569 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167299025005002


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