Emotional Aftermath of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: A Study of Hindsight Bias in Younger and Older Adults

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/7zj4y
• Publication Date: 2024-02-01T05:01:00Z
• Authors: Mane Kara-Yakoubian; Julia Spaniol
• Keywords: Hindsight bias; Presidential election

While researchers have linked adult age differences in hindsight bias to shifts cognitive and motivational processes, the association between bias, emotion, aging remains relatively underexplored. We examined emotion younger older adults (N = 272) against backdrop of 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Participants predicted electoral college votes for two candidates before election were asked remember their predictions approximately three weeks later, after results had been finalized. Republicans, whom outcome was negatively tinged, exhibited greater President Biden’s result compared with Democrats, positive. The asymmetry Republicans Democrats similar participants. This study suggests that negative emotions may exacerbate observed laboratory settings not translate real-world contexts.