The Impact of Perceived Control on the Imagination of Better and Worse Possible Worlds

Effects of perceived control and close alternative outcomes on counterfactual generation were examined. Subjects played a computer-simulated "wheel of fortune"game along with another player (a confederate) in which two wheels spun simultaneously. Subjects had either control over spinning the wheel or control over which wheel would determine their outcome and which would determine the other player's outcome. Subjects experienced either a "near big win, " with a loss by the other player, or a "near loss, " with a big win by the other player. Results showed that (a) subjects generated counterfactuals about the aspect of the game they controlled, (b) the direction of these counterfactuals corresponded to the close outcome associated with the aspect they controlled, and (c) these counterfactuals predicted affective responses to the outcome of the spin. Cognitive and motivational implications of the influence of perceived control on counterfactual generation are discussed.