Being Wise After the Event Depends on the Mindset: How Construal Level Modifies Reconstruction in the Hindsight Bias Effect.

This article focuses on research examining how construal level (CL), or psychological distance, affects the magnitude of hindsight bias, which is the tendency to recall original judgments as closer to known outcomes after receiving feedback. Two experiments tested participants’ susceptibility to hindsight bias under low (psychologically close) versus high (psychologically distant) CL states induced by temporal perspective. Results indicated that individuals in a low CL state showed greater biased reconstruction of false outcomes and increased source confusion compared to those in a high CL state. The findings suggest that psychological distance influences how people reconstruct past judgments after learning outcomes. This research is based on a preprint that has not yet undergone peer review. [Extracted from the article]