Abstract
Affective and functional roles of counterfactual thoughts were explored in this two-phase mixed-method study. In Phase I participants recalled disappointing academic events, generated counterfactuals (i.e., what ifs) in response to their performance, and then rated their affect, attribution, and academic locus of control. A statistically significant relationship, r=−0.47, was revealed between students' internal locus of control and the number of counterfactuals they generated. That is, a high sense of personal responsibility and control corresponded to a high number of counterfactuals. In Phase II of the study, a computerized program was utilized in which participants completed a series of anagrams after selecting specific parameters of the task. After feedback, students suggested alternate behaviors that would have changed their anagram scores. Students who compared their performance to a better performance reported lower affect but yielded a greater improvement in scores on a subsequent anagram task than students who compared their performance to a poorer performance. Findings with this sample of high school students were congruent with findings based on college students. Implications are discussed.
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Reichert, L.K., Slate, J.R. Reflective learning: the use of “if only ...” statements to improve performance. Social Psychology of Education 3, 261–275 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009643025983
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009643025983