I am regretful but I would not change my decision: the dissociation between emotional regret and behavioural regret in children

Regret is a negative emotion that individuals experience when they perceive the actual outcome of a given situation to be less desirable than the counterfactual outcome. Experiences of regret generally manifest in the form of both sadness (emotional regret) and a tendency to change associated decision-making (behavioral regret). Prior studies employing a box selection paradigm suggest that children begin experiencing emotional regret at approximately 6 years of age. However, behavioral regret remains a less well-studied phenomenon in children. Herein, we explored both forms of regret among 143 children (8-12 years old) using a sequential risk-taking task (the devil task). These analyses revealed that children were able to experience both emotional and behavioral regret, although they were more sensitive to the former relative to the latter. No significant correlations were observed between these two varieties of regret, and the children exhibited higher regret sensitivity to missed opportunities rather than to losses. These findings suggest that emotional regret and behavioral regret may be subject to distinct developmental trajectories and adaptive significance. Further studies should thus take both of these forms of regret into consideration when studying relevant outcomes.

Automated summary

This study found that children are capable of experiencing both emotional and behavioral regret, but they are more sensitive to the former. The children exhibited higher regret sensitivity to missed opportunities rather than to losses. Emotional regret and behavioral regret may have distinct developmental trajectories and adaptive significance.