The Best Laid Plans ... : Beyond Scripts are Counterscripts

Abstract

This study examined whether counterscripts (general, semantic knowledge structures for unexpected events exhibiting definable, common event structure) are part of our event knowledge. Classic among counterscript events are situationally ironic ones (e.g., an agent's goal-directed actions yield the opposite outcome or are superseded by fluke actions in securing a goal). In a category ratings task, adults rated 3 event kinds for ironic status: script (expected, routine events associated with general knowledge structures), counterscript ironic, and anomaly-unexpected (unexpected events with no common structure and not associated with general knowledge structures). The data indicate that general, semantic knowledge structures exist for counterscript ironic events. These events were rated in the ironic range and more ironic than script and anomaly-unexpected events. Script events were rated least ironic. Script and counterscript events emerged as independent event factors. Moreover, counterscript ironic events exhibited internal structure (degree of irony varied across event kinds), a component of conceptual coherence.