Psychology Commons^™

Hindsight Bias And Guilt, Jessica Frances Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

This study is an examination of the relationship between hindsight bias and posttraumatic guilt. There is some evidence that guilt following a trauma is caused, at least in part, by the hindsight bias. However, the researchers behind this theory have not tested this theory utilizing the hypothetical experimental design for hindsight bias or tested their conception of hindsight bias in terms of foreseeability and inevitability. This study attempted to do just that. Participants were presented with a scenario about a friend in a car accident. Participants in the foresight group received no outcome. Participants in the hindsight groups were told …