The Mental Simulation of Better and Worse Possible Worlds

By K. Markman, Igor Gavanski, Steven J. Sherman, Matthew N. McMullen. 1993

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Citations in the corpus

Counterfactuals in Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI): Evidence from Human Reasoning (2019, background): “Most people tend to imagine how things could have been better rather than worse [Markman et al., 1993; Rim and Summerville, 2014].”
The Functional Theory of Counterfactual Thinking (2008, methodology): “Counterfactual thoughts are typically activated by a failed goal, and they specify what one might have been done to have achieved that goal (Markman et al., 1993; Roese, Hur, & Pennington, 1999).”
Counterfactual thinking, persistence, and performance: A test of the Reflection and Evaluation Model (2008, methodology): “The purpose of providing ‘‘2X’’ feedback was to leave each participant with equivalent ‘‘room’’ to generate either upward or downward counterfactuals (cf. Markman et al., 1993).”
Coming to grips with the past: Effect of repeated simulation on the perceived plausibility of episodic counterfactual thoughts (2013, unknown): “Conversely, thinking about how good things could have turned out worse—downward counterfactuals—tends to elicit feelings of relief and satisfaction (Markman et al., 1993; Roese, 1994; Roese & Olson, 1995; Mandel et al., 2005).”
Downward Counterfactuals and Motivation: The Wake-Up Call and the Pangloss Effect (2000, background): “It is perhaps no accident that counterfactual research showing preparative functions of upward counterfactuals have employed achievement-oriented tasks, such as winning money (Markman et al., 1993) and solving anagrams (Roese, 1994).”
Anti‐brand communities, negotiation of brand meaning, and the learning process: The case of Wal‐Mart (2010, background): “According to Markman et al. (1993), counterfactuals often resemble “if only…” statements, pinpointing how given scenarios could be better.”
Counterfactual Thinking and Entrepreneurial Self–Efficacy: The Moderating Role of Self–Esteem and Dispositional Affect (2013, background): “According to Markman et al. (1993), the motivations underlying the social comparisons and counterfactual thoughts may mirror each other.”