The Role of Mental Simulations and Counterfactual Thinking in the Opportunity Identification Process
研究了创业者如何通过心理模拟和反事实思维这两种认知过程来识别和开发创新机会，提出了相关命题。
The process of identifying, shaping, and pursuing market opportunities is emerging as a focal point in the field of entrepreneurship. Scholarly efforts to date have considered what happens during this process; it is time to turn attention to how and why. This article examines one such “how” question: how do entrepreneurs think and reason such that they identify innovative opportunities? Specifically, the cognitive processes of mental simulation and counterfactual thinking are proposed as mechanisms by which entrepreneurs identify and develop innovative opportunities. Propositions regarding the application of these cognitive processes to opportunity identification are presented and discussed.