Economics Insights @ CBS

We investigate how individuals learn from imagined might-have-been scenarios. We hypothesize that individuals are more likely to learn when they have responded to an event with upward-directed, self-focused counterfactual thoughts, and, additionally, that this learning process is inhibited by accountability to organizational superiors. Support for these hypotheses was obtained in two studies that assessed learning by aviation pilots from the experience of near accidents.

The research in this article examined the consequences of a failed attempt to reduce dissonance through a self-affirmation strategy. It was hypothesized that disconfirming participants' affirmations would reinstate psychological discomfort and dissonance motivation. In Experiment 1, high-dissonance participants who affirmed on a self-relevant value scale and received disconforming feedback about their affirmations expressed greater psychological discomfort (Elliot & Devine, 1994) than either affirmation-only participants or low-dissonance/affirmation disconformed participants.

Rapid comprehensive change in the physical pattern of a city is a minor revolution — as is the transformation of 42nd Street and Times Square. Two decades ago the agenda for change posed two big questions: Is it possible for cities to reshape what the market is likely to deliver in an area? Is large-scale redevelopment even a plausible political objective, especially when aggressive actions such as condemnation are deemed a necessary part of the strategy?