Hindsight Bias
The Hindsight Bias information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively with common thinking biases.
Hindsight Bias
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) suggests that our thoughts influence how we feel and how we act. However, some of our thoughts can be biased. Recognizing these ‘cognitive distortions’ or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’ can help you judge how accurate and useful your automatic thoughts are. This tool will introduce you to a common distortion called hindsight bias.
Overview
Hindsight bias describes the tendency that people have – once an outcome is known – to believe that they predicted (or could have predicted) an outcome that they did not (or could not) predict. Sometimes referred to as the “knew-it-all-along” effect, it describes times when people conflate an outcome with what they knew at the time. People experiencing hindsight bias “think that they should have known something, or did know something, that would have led them to act differently had they paid more attention to it”, and it is particularly common in survivors of trauma. The Hindsight Bias information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively with common thinking biases.
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