Only when experimental participants were informed that a woman was raped did they perceive the woman's behavior as inviting rape.This best illustrates that victim blaming is fueled by
A) the other-gender effect.
B) scapegoating.
C) hindsight bias.
D) unconscious patronization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The given scenario best illustrates hindsight bias, which refers to the tendency to perceive events as more predictable than they actually are after they have occurred. This bias occurs due to the cognitive phenomenon of mental shortcuts that humans opt to take while interpreting events. Here, the participants perceived the woman's behavior as inviting rape only after they were informed that she had been raped. This suggests that they may have altered their perceptions to make sense of the event after knowing its outcome. This phenomenon might explain why victims of sexual assault are sometimes blamed for the event, rather than holding the perpetrator accountable.

Only When Experimental Participants Were Informed That a Woman Was