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Motivational interpretations of hindsight bias: An individual difference analysis.
- Source :
- Journal of Personality; Dec83, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p605, 16p
- Publication Year :
- 1983
-
Abstract
- When individuals learn the outcome of an event or the correct answer to a question, they overestimate its prior predictability: that is, they tend to believe they "knew it all along." Cognitive and motivational interpretations of hindsight bias are briefly reviewed and a study designed to test the motivational interpretation is reported. Specifically, it was hypothesized that individual differences in the strengths of two motives, a need for predictability and a self-presentation motive, should be positively related to individual differences in the magnitude of hindsight bias. Sixty-eight subjects completed a Dogmatism Scale and an Intolerance for Ambiguity Scale (the predictability motive) and the Marlowe- Crowne Social Desirability Scale (the self-presentation motive) before participating in a standard hindsight-bias paradigm. Measures of both motives, as well as a self-reported ego-involvement measure, were positively associated with the amount of hindsight bias exhibited. Implications of this result for interpretations of hindsight and other conceptually related phenomena are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00223506
- Volume :
- 51
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Personality
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 7380582
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1983.tb00868.x