Open AccessThe Experiment-based Knew-it-all-along Effect in the Qualitative Light of Narrativity
Author(s) -
Marek Palasinski
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1064
Subject(s) - hindsight bias , narrativity , vagueness , psychology , narrative , outcome (game theory) , social psychology , epistemology , perspective (graphical) , sensemaking , interpretation (philosophy) , qualitative research , cognitive psychology , sociology , social science , political science , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics , public relations , mathematical economics , artificial intelligence , computer science , programming language , fuzzy logic
In contrast to the extant quantitative studies on the hindsight effect, the present narrative analysis looks at it from a rare angle of talk-in-interaction. Fifty one-to-one interviews were done with five student groups, each of which was presented with a scenario ending with one factual outcome and three alternative outcomes that actually did not happen. Confirming the already proven role of the provided event outcome in overestimating the probability of its occurrence, this study expands the current understanding of the processes neglected by the research on the hindsight effect. It does so by highlighting the strategic use of vagueness, self-empowerment and selective perspective-taking that question the assessment of the past for its own sake and emphasize the importance of self-presentation.