یک شرطی خلاف واقع (مخفف ) یک شرطی شامل یک قید «اگر» است که بر خلاف واقعیت است. اصطلاح "خلاف واقع" در سال ۱۹۴۷Goodman, N. , "The Problem of Counterfactual Conditionals", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.44, No.5, (27 February 1947), pp.113-128. توسط نلسون گودمن ابداع شد، که مفهوم «شرطیِ بر خلاف واقعیت» رودریک چیشولم (۱۹۴۶) را گسترش می‌داد.Chisholm, R.M. , "The Contrary-to-Fact Conditional", "Mind", Vol.55, No.220, (October 1946), pp.289-307. مطالعه خلاف واقع‌ها به طور فزاینده‌ای مورد علاقه دانشوران در طیف گسترده‌ای از حوزه‌ها مانند فلسفه،Goodman, N. , "The Problem of Counterfactual Conditionals", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.44, No.5, (27 February 1947), pp.113-128; Brown, R, & Watling, J. , "Counterfactual Conditionals", "Mind", Vol.61, No.242, (April 1952), pp.222-233; Parry, W.T. , "Reëxamination of the Problem of Counterfactual Conditionals", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.54, No.4, (14 February 1957), pp.85-94; Cooley, J.C. , "Professor Goodman’s "Fact, Fiction, & Forecast"", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.54, No.10, (9 May 1957), pp.293-311; Goodman, N. , "Parry on Counterfactuals", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.54, No.14, (4 July 1957), pp.442-445; Goodman, N. , "Reply to an Adverse Ally", "The Journal of Philosophy", Vol.54, No.17, (15 August 1957), pp.531-535; , Counterfactuals, Basil Blackwell, (Oxford), 1973, etc. روانشناسی،Fillenbaum, S. , "Information Amplified: Memory for Counterfactual Conditionals", "Journal of Experimental Psychology", Vol.102, No.1, (January 1974), pp.44-49; Crawford, M.T. & McCrea, S.M. , "When Mutations meet Motivations: Attitude Biases in Counterfactual Thought", "Journal of Experimental Social Psychology", Vol.40, No.1, (January 2004), pp.65-74, etc. روانشناسی شناختی،Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. , "The Simulation Heuristic", pp.201-208 in Kahneman, D. , Slovic, P. & Tversky, A. (eds), "Judgement Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases", Cambridge University Press, (Cambridge), 1982; Sherman, S.J. & McConnell, A.R. , "Dysfunctional Implications of Counterfactual Thinking: When Alternatives to reality Fail Us", pp.199-231 in Roese, N.J. & Olson, J.M. (eds. تاریخ،Greenberg, M. (ed. علوم سیاسی،Fearon, J.D. , "Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science", "World Politics", Vol.43, No.2, (January 1991), pp.169-195; Tetlock, P.E. & Belkin, A. (eds. اقتصاد،Cowan, R. & Foray, R. , "Evolutionary Economics and the Counterfactual Threat: On the Nature and Role of Counterfactual History as an Empirical Tool in Economics", "Journal of Evolutionary Economics", Vol.12, No.5, (December 2002), pp.539-562, etc. روانشناسی اجتماعی،Roese, N.J. & Olson, J.M. (eds. قانون،Strassfeld, R.N. , "If.. نظریه سازمان،Creyer, E.H. & Gürhan, Z. , "Who's to Blame? بازاریابیHetts, J.J. , Boninger, D.S. , Armor, D.A. , Gleicher, F. & Nathanson, A. , "The Influence of Anticipated Counterfactual Regret on Behavior", "Psychology & Marketing", Vol.17, No.4, (April 2000), pp.345-368; Landman, J. & Petty, R. , "“It Could Have Been You”: How States Exploit Counterfactual Thought to Market Lotteries", "Psychology & Marketing", Vol.17, No.4, (April 2000), pp.299-321; McGill, A.L. , "Counterfactual Reasoning in Causal Judgements: Implications for Marketing", "Psychology & Marketing", Vol.17, No.4, (April 2000), pp.323-343; Roese, N.J. , "Counterfactual Thinking and Marketing: Introduction to the Special Issue", "Psychology & Marketing', Vol.17, No.4, (April 2000), pp.277-280; Walchli, S.B. & Landman, J. , "Effects of Counterfactual Thought on Postpurchase Consumer Affect", "Psychology &