Hindsight bias: theoretical explanations
Although there is a wealth of literature on hindsight distortions, the underlying
mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Attempts of explanation were given in three major
theoretical areas: Models of
memory impairment
state that outcome knowledge affects memory for previous judgements by either altering
or erasing existing memory traces, or by rendering them less accessible. Other attempts
to explain the hindsight bias are based on assumptions that these distortions are driven by
motivations.
An alternative explanation is that people use distorting heuristics while
reconstructing
their original judgements.
Continue to:
memory impairment,
motivational explanations,
biased reconstruction
Return to:
hindsight bias
Literature:
Stahlberg & Maass (1998)
