Regret: The Roles of Consistency-Fit and Counterfactual Salience
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Four studies examined the role of a decision's consistency with the orientation of the decision-maker in determining regret. In accordance with our consistency-fit model of regret, the consistency of a decision in relation to decision-makers' goals (Experiments 1), mood states (Experiment 3), and personality orientations (Experiments 2 and 4) predicted regret levels such that consistent decisions were less regrettable than decisions that were inconsistent. In Experiment 1, consistent decisions were defined in relation to decision-makers' goals of changing their typical behavior. Results revealed that decisions that were consistent with the goals of changing their typical behavior were less regrettable. In addition, Experiments 2–4 found that the salience of counterfactuals augmented participants' feelings of regret, supporting the view that accessible alternatives to chosen courses of behavior can serve as affective cues. Implications of a consistency-fit view of regret for norm theory, self-regulation and affect as information were discussed.
Source: Social Cognition
Language: English
Subfield: General Decision Sciences
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2080944292