Graduate Student, School of Psychology
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
Thesis Title: The development of children's understanding of regret and relief
About
There are plenty of times when we, as adults, make a mistake or choose what turns out to be the wrong choice. In these situations we often think about ‘what could have been’, prompting thoughts such as ‘if only I hadn’t…’ or ‘I knew I shouldn’t have…’ We define this process as feeling regret. We compare what actually happened with ‘what could have been’. The opposite feelings are often regarded as relief, which is characterized by thoughts such as ‘thank goodness’ or ‘could you imagine if…’
I am interested in these thought processes in children. I am particularly interested in the ages and the manner in which these feelings emerge and become fully developed and the comparisons between children’s own experience of regret and relief and their understanding of someone else experiencing them.
Over the past 24 months, I have run ten studies around the country that have involved over 900 children from 3- to 9-years-old playing a game which prompts comparisons of the actual outcome to what could have been. I also investigated children’s understanding of the feelings of two characters in a story after they made a wrong decision.
The results of my work are useful for parents and teachers alike who may attempt to encourage children to consider ‘what they could have done instead, to find that this only falls on uncomprehending ears.
Contact Information
http://www.cogdev.bham.ac.uk/people/Weisberg.shtml
Cognitive Development Group,
School of Psychology,
University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston,
B15 2TT
0121 414 2855
