Recall errors in locating cities on a map

Three experiments investigated whether hindsight bias--a systematic distortion of the recollections of numerical estimates--is also observed with visuo-spatial material. Subjects estimated the location of 20 German cities on an empty map, received feedback about the true locations, and were then requested to recall their earlier estimates. Additionally, we tested each subject's intelligence, field dependency, and visuo-spatial abilities. In experiment 1, in which experimental and control items (i.e. those with and without feedback) were given to the same subjects, hindsight bias was observed, but only in one out of three dependent measures. The same pattern of results emerged in experiment 2, despite the use of a different mode of data collection. Experiment 3, in which experimental and control items were given to different subjects, found a strong hindsight bias in all three dependent measures. The personality features showed no correlation with the amount of individual hindsight bias. All three experiments provided evidence that hindsight bias occurs with visuo-spatial material.