“What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking
Counterfactual thinking is a ubiquitous feature of daily life with links to causal reasoning. Therefore, we argue that cultures that vary in perceptions of what controls important life outcomes may also vary in counterfactual thought. Investigating White American and United Arab Emirates-based Arab...
محفوظ في:
| المؤلف الرئيسي: | |
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| مؤلفون آخرون: | |
| التنسيق: | article |
| منشور في: |
2021
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| الموضوعات: | |
| الوصول للمادة أونلاين: | http://hdl.handle.net/11073/21587 |
| الوسوم: |
إضافة وسم
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| _version_ | 1864513434546077696 |
|---|---|
| author | Maitner, Angela |
| author2 | Summerville, Amy |
| author2_role | author |
| author_facet | Maitner, Angela Summerville, Amy |
| author_role | author |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Maitner, Angela Summerville, Amy |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv | 2021 2022-01-12T11:01:03Z 2022-01-12T11:01:03Z |
| dc.format.none.fl_str_mv | application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | Maitner, A. T., & Summerville, A. (in press). “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000295 1939-1315 http://hdl.handle.net/11073/21587 10.1037/pspa0000295 |
| dc.language.none.fl_str_mv | en_US |
| dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv | American Psychological Association |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv | https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000295 |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv | Counterfactual thinking Culture Primary control Divine control Fate |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | Peer-Reviewed Postprint info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| description | Counterfactual thinking is a ubiquitous feature of daily life with links to causal reasoning. Therefore, we argue that cultures that vary in perceptions of what controls important life outcomes may also vary in counterfactual thought. Investigating White American and United Arab Emirates-based Arab participants' counterfactual potency and spontaneous counterfactual thinking, we found that Arab participants endorsed counterfactual thoughts less than White Americans, and were unaffected by the routine nature of action when negative outcomes were severe. Differences in counterfactual endorsement in response to severe negative outcomes were linked to greater beliefs in divine control and fate in Arab participants, and not to religiosity, reinforcing an important role of perceptions of control in counterfactual thought. However, although reporting less counterfactual endorsement overall, Arabs showed a similar pattern of counterfactual thought to White Americans when negative outcomes were mild, or when reporting spontaneous thought. Arabs likewise showed a similar pattern of regret as White Americans regardless of event severity, reporting more regret when outcomes resulted from unusual action. These patterns suggest a dissociation between affect and cognition, and between what kind of outcomes are subject to counterfactual scrutiny in Arab participants. |
| format | article |
| id | aus_925c0d2bc79cc88b9ba8ce3986fa48c8 |
| identifier_str_mv | Maitner, A. T., & Summerville, A. (in press). “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000295 1939-1315 10.1037/pspa0000295 |
| language_invalid_str_mv | en_US |
| network_acronym_str | aus |
| network_name_str | aus |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:repository.aus.edu:11073/21587 |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher.none.fl_str_mv | American Psychological Association |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | |
| repository_id_str | |
| spelling | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual ThinkingMaitner, AngelaSummerville, AmyCounterfactual thinkingCulturePrimary controlDivine controlFateCounterfactual thinking is a ubiquitous feature of daily life with links to causal reasoning. Therefore, we argue that cultures that vary in perceptions of what controls important life outcomes may also vary in counterfactual thought. Investigating White American and United Arab Emirates-based Arab participants' counterfactual potency and spontaneous counterfactual thinking, we found that Arab participants endorsed counterfactual thoughts less than White Americans, and were unaffected by the routine nature of action when negative outcomes were severe. Differences in counterfactual endorsement in response to severe negative outcomes were linked to greater beliefs in divine control and fate in Arab participants, and not to religiosity, reinforcing an important role of perceptions of control in counterfactual thought. However, although reporting less counterfactual endorsement overall, Arabs showed a similar pattern of counterfactual thought to White Americans when negative outcomes were mild, or when reporting spontaneous thought. Arabs likewise showed a similar pattern of regret as White Americans regardless of event severity, reporting more regret when outcomes resulted from unusual action. These patterns suggest a dissociation between affect and cognition, and between what kind of outcomes are subject to counterfactual scrutiny in Arab participants.American University of SharjahAmerican Psychological Association2022-01-12T11:01:03Z2022-01-12T11:01:03Z2021Peer-ReviewedPostprintinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfMaitner, A. T., & Summerville, A. (in press). “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa00002951939-1315http://hdl.handle.net/11073/2158710.1037/pspa0000295en_UShttps://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000295oai:repository.aus.edu:11073/215872024-08-22T12:01:18Z |
| spellingShingle | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking Maitner, Angela Counterfactual thinking Culture Primary control Divine control Fate |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| title_full | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| title_fullStr | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| title_full_unstemmed | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| title_short | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| title_sort | “What Was Meant to Be” Versus “What Might Have Been”: Effects of Culture and Control on Counterfactual Thinking |
| topic | Counterfactual thinking Culture Primary control Divine control Fate |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11073/21587 |