---
abstract: 'The significance of counterfactual thinking in the causal judgment process has been emphasized for nearly two decades, yet no previous research has directly compared the relative effect of thinking counterfactually versus factually on causal judgment. Three experiments examined this comparison by manipulating the task frame used to focus participants’ thinking about a target event. Prior to making judgments about causality, preventability, blame, and control, participants were directed to think about a target actor either in counterfactual terms (what the actor could have done to change the outcome) or in factual terms (what the actor had done that led to the outcome). In each experiment, the effect of counterfactual thinking did not differ reliably from the effect of factual thinking on causal judgment. Implications for research on causal judgment and mental representation are discussed. '
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chapter: ~
commentary: ~
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conference: ~
confloc: ~
contact_email: ~
creators_id: []
creators_name:
- family: Mandel
given: David R.
honourific: Dr.
lineage: ''
date: 2003
date_type: published
datestamp: 2006-09-08
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/51/23
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editors_id: []
editors_name: []
eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 5123
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/5123/1/mandel%2DTandR2003.pdf
full_text_status: public
importid: ~
institution: ~
isbn: ~
ispublished: pub
issn: ~
item_issues_comment: []
item_issues_count: 0
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item_issues_resolved_by: []
item_issues_status: []
item_issues_timestamp: []
item_issues_type: []
keywords: 'Counterfactual thinking, causation, prevention, if, mental models'
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:35
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 245-265
pubdom: TRUE
publication: ' Thinking & Reasoning'
publisher: ~
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: ~
relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 12
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2007-09-12 17:07:10
subjects:
- cog-psy
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
sword_slug: ~
thesistype: ~
title: Effect of counterfactual and factual thinking on causal judgments.
type: journalp
userid: 32
volume: ' 9'