How Voluntariness of Apologies Affects Actual and Hypothetical Victims’ Perceptions of the Offender

Apologies are important in social interactions. Study 1 investigated participants’ reactions after being insulted by a confederate and receiving no apology, a voluntary apology, a coerced apology with consequences (i.e., explicitly coerced apology), or a coerced apology without consequences (i.e., implicitly coerced apology). Receiving any apology produced more positive perceptions of the offender and less serious recommended punishments than no...