Better late than early: The influence of timing on apology effectiveness

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Abstract

Two studies examined whether the timing of an apology influences its effectiveness. We hypothesized that victims who received apologies later in a conflict would feel more satisfied with the resolution of the conflict, primarily because they would have more opportunity for self-expression and would feel better understood. Undergraduates provided retrospective interpersonal conflict narratives (Study 1) and responded to a hypothetical scenario (Study 2) in which they were wronged. The results showed that later apologies were more effective than earlier ones, and that this effect was mediated by feeling heard and understood. The ramifications for creating a “ripeness” or readiness for conflict resolution are discussed.

Section snippets

Participants

Twenty-four volunteer undergraduates at Williams College (7 males, 16 females) were recruited to participate in a study on “Apology and Conflict.” They received a candy bar for their participation.

Procedure

After providing their informed consent, participants received a questionnaire that contained all the instructions. First, they were asked to describe on a blank page “a recent conflict (within the last six months) you have had with another individual … in which you felt you were wronged, and also in

Study 2

The results of Study 1 support our hypotheses. Because our results were correlational, however, the causal relations among the variables that we measured were unclear. For example, people who express themselves more often during a conflict may receive later apologies because they have annoyed the offender, or because all their talking kept the offender from apologizing earlier. If so, then voice affects the timing of apologies, rather than the other way around.

Because of these concerns, we ran

Discussion

In Study 1, apologies that occurred later in a conflict were more effective, in the sense that they were associated with greater outcome satisfaction. There was also some evidence that voice and understanding mediate the relationship between apology timing and apology effectiveness.

In Study 2, we experimentally manipulated the timing of apologies, and replicated the results from Study 1. We found that a later apology, occurring after voice and understanding, was more effective than an early

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  • Cited by (0)

    The authors thank Molly Burnett, Sarah Zilzer, Dick Moreland, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

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    Present address: Severance Hall, Department of Psychology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, United States.

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