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Chapter3-SocialBeliefsandJudgmentsPart5-AftertheDecision.pptxChapter 3
Social Beliefs & Judgments
Part 5 (After the Decision is Made)
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Part Five
After the Decision
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After the Decision is Made
Counterfactual thinking involves thoughts we have about what may have happened had we made a different decision or done something differently
It is seemingly automatic, though it has an element of effortful work. Let me explain …
Think about all those times you thought to yourself, “Things would have turned out so much better (or so much worse) if only I had _____________”.
This is a counterfactual thought, and it can have a big impact on emotions …
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After the Decision is Made
Counterfactual thinking can have a big influence on emotions
After a loved one’s tragic death, a person may experience a great deal of distress if they have lots of counterfactual thoughts. Fill in the following blank:
If I had just ____________ he wouldn’t be dead.
“If I had called the paramedics earlier”; “if I knew CPR”; “if I had paid more attention”; “if I got to him earlier”; etc.
If the thinker was able to fill in the blank with lots of possible “fixes”, he or she may experience very negative thoughts, because the death might be seen as easily preventable
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Who’s happier - Gold, Silver, or Bronze?
Medvec, Madly, and Golovich (1995) asked this question
Although gold medalists were happiest, bronze medalists were happier than silver medalists.
Why?
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Counterfactual Thinking
Upward counterfactuals compare the current outcome to more favorable outcomes (this is similar to upward comparisons!)
May lead to dissatisfaction: “I could have done better if only …”
Silver medalists probably do this and envy the gold medalist
Downward counterfactuals compare current outcome to less favorable outcomes (this is similar to downward comparisons!)
May lead to satisfaction: “I could have done worse if only …”
The bronze medalist likely experiences relief in even getting a medal, because it is possible he could have come in 4th!
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Counterfactual Thinking
Counterfactual thinking: The good news about counterfactuals is that if we can imagine a bad outcome as inevitable, we won’t feel bad about it
Imagine you are rushing to the airport and miss your flight. Are you going to feel worse if you missed it by:
5 minutes OR 60 minutes
5 minutes! There are so many things you could have done to get there 5 minutes earlier, making you feel very depressed. But if you missed it by 60 minutes, it was probably inevitable that you would have missed it
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A Look Ahead
This ends Chapter 3 on Social Beliefs and Judgments
Ahead, we will focus on another dimension of beliefs, namely the attitudes we hold and how they develop
We will also focus on something called cognitive dissonance, or what happens when you hold an attitude that is inconsistent with your either your behavior or another attitude you hold
I want to remind you that your Attribution Assignment #1 will be due soon, so use what you learned in this chapter to complete that assignment. I will see you in chapter 4!
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