April L. McGrath

The Perception of Time Heals All Wounds: Temporal Distance Affects Willingness to Forgive Following an Interpersonal Transgression

Prior research has assessed the temporal unfolding of forgiveness and found that forgiveness becomes more likely as time distances the victim from the transgression. These findings lend credence to the axiom “time heals all wounds.” This research examines the effect of time perception on forgiveness of others by experimentally manipulating temporal distance. In Experiment 1, respondents reported greater willingness to forgive the transgressor when more time had elapsed since the transgression. Experiments 2 and 3 determined the influence of subjective temporal distance on willingness to forgive. Participants who perceived a hypothetical (Experiment 2) or real (Experimental 3) transgression to be farther away in time were more willing to forgive the target than were participants who perceived the event to be temporally closer. Results suggest that temporal appraisals of an event are central to the forgiveness process.

Just Checking In The Effect of an Office Hour Meeting and Learning Reflection in an Introductory Statistics Course

Office hours provide time outside of class for students to consult with instructors about course material, progress, and evaluation. Yet office hours, at times, remain an untapped source of academic support. The current study examined whether office hour attendance in combination with a learning reflection would help students learn material in an introductory statistics course. Psychology students were randomly assigned to meet in person with the course instructor and complete a learning reflection form prior to a test. Students who completed these tasks prior to the second test in the course outperformed other students. Office hour attendance combined with reflection may be a useful way to improve students’ understanding of statistics.