Counterfactual thinking is associated with impoverished attentional control in women prone to self-critical rumination

Abstract

Background and objectives

Excessive engagement in counterfactual thinking (CFT), where individuals imagine alternative outcomes to past events, is associated with rumination, a process characterized by repetitive negative self-referential thoughts. Attentional control difficulties are closely linked with rumination, and negative thoughts can negatively impact attentional control among rumination-prone individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between CFT and emotional and non-emotional attentional control among individuals with varying levels of self-critical rumination.

Methods

A sample of 100 female participants, characterized by varying levels of self-critical rumination, completed a choice task resulting in goal failure, during which they reported their levels of CFT. Subsequently, participants performed an attentional control task involving eye-tracking measures to assess emotional attentional engagement, emotional attentional disengagement, and emotional and non-emotional attentional shifting.

Results

Among women with high (but not low) self-critical rumination tendencies, increased levels of CFT were associated with slower attentional shifting from emotional stimuli of opposing valence, as well as between non-emotional stimuli.

Limitations

The correlational design of the study prevents causal interpretations of the findings. Additionally, the exclusive inclusion of female participants may limit the generalizability of the results.

Conclusions

This study underscores the association of CFT with subsequent attentional control among women prone to self-critical rumination, aligning with prior research suggesting a link between negative thoughts and attentional processes. Future research should explore these relationships in diverse populations and consider longitudinal designs to elucidate causal pathways.