Forecasting errors in the averseness of apologizing
Forecasting errors in the averseness of apologizing
Apologizing is often seen as the appropriate response after a transgression for perpetrators. Yet, despite the positive effects that apologies elicit after situations of conflict, they are not always delivered easily. We argue that this is due –at least in part- to perpetrators overestimating the averseness of apologizing, thus committing a forecasting error. Across two laboratory experiments and one autobiographical recall study, we demonstrate that perpetrators overestimate the averseness they will experience when apologizing compared to the averseness they experience when they actually apologize. Moreover, we show that this effect is driven by a misconstrual of the effects of an apology. Perpetrators overestimate the potentially negative effects of apologizing while simultaneously underestimating the potentially positive effects of apologizing. This forecasting error may have a negative effect on the initiation of the reconciliation process, due to perpetrators believing that apologizing is more averse than it actually is.
322-339
Leunissen, J. M.
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De Cremer, D.
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Van Dijke, M.
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Reinders Folmer, C.P.
a979e0d2-70ea-49af-b64d-07a9ee8201b9
27 July 2014
Leunissen, J. M.
7f515e33-ceb7-49c8-95e9-d327a641f965
De Cremer, D.
3d15ccc4-8d6a-4947-8f32-3656a6629594
Van Dijke, M.
a3c13812-fcf8-49d7-b2b1-13bf724e19f7
Reinders Folmer, C.P.
a979e0d2-70ea-49af-b64d-07a9ee8201b9
Leunissen, J. M., De Cremer, D., Van Dijke, M. and Reinders Folmer, C.P.
(2014)
Forecasting errors in the averseness of apologizing.
Social Justice Research, 27 (3), .
(doi:10.1007/s11211-014-0216-4).
Abstract
Apologizing is often seen as the appropriate response after a transgression for perpetrators. Yet, despite the positive effects that apologies elicit after situations of conflict, they are not always delivered easily. We argue that this is due –at least in part- to perpetrators overestimating the averseness of apologizing, thus committing a forecasting error. Across two laboratory experiments and one autobiographical recall study, we demonstrate that perpetrators overestimate the averseness they will experience when apologizing compared to the averseness they experience when they actually apologize. Moreover, we show that this effect is driven by a misconstrual of the effects of an apology. Perpetrators overestimate the potentially negative effects of apologizing while simultaneously underestimating the potentially positive effects of apologizing. This forecasting error may have a negative effect on the initiation of the reconciliation process, due to perpetrators believing that apologizing is more averse than it actually is.
Text
Leunissen et al 2014 Forecasting errors in apologizing.pdf
- Author's Original
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e-pub ahead of print date: 27 July 2014
Published date: 27 July 2014
Organisations:
Psychology
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Local EPrints ID: 367348
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/367348
PURE UUID: b8661534-4dce-4886-91d0-d7fcbe002491
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Date deposited: 29 Jul 2014 14:17
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 17:28
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Author:
J. M. Leunissen
Author:
D. De Cremer
Author:
M. Van Dijke
Author:
C.P. Reinders Folmer
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