Development of counterfactual thinking: Approaching from the domain of event and the causal chain

KAKEN

About This Project

Japan Grant Number
JP24730550 (JGN)
Funding Program
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
Funding Organization
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Kakenhi Information

Project/Area Number
24730550
Research Category
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type
  • Multi-year Fund
Review Section / Research Field
  • Humanities and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Psychology > Educational psychology
Research Institution
  • Shizuoka University
Project Period (FY)
2012-04-01 〜 2015-03-31
Project Status
Completed
Budget Amount*help
4,290,000 Yen (Direct Cost: 3,300,000 Yen Indirect Cost: 990,000 Yen)

Research Abstract

Counterfactual thinking is “the ability to consider alternatives to what we know has happened.” Four studies examined the development of counterfactual thinking. Study 1 showed that young children’s counterfactual thinking is positively related to the ability of pretense. Study 2 and 3 examined the influence of the task structure (causal chain) on young children’s counterfactual thinking. The results showed that (regardless of the task structures) younger than 5-years-olds could think about counterfactual in psychological domain, but even 5-years-olds had the difficulty with counterfactual thinking in physical domain. Study 4 showed the possibility that this difficulty was caused by the variability of physical events. These results suggested the development of young children’s counterfactual thinking differently depending on the domain of events.

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