The SMU Office of Postgraduate Research Programmes organised its first Inaugural Brown-bag Seminar on “Does Guilt Expression Mitigate Others’ Negative Reciprocity? The Roles of Perceived Benevolence and Compensation”. The Seminar, which was held virtually on 9 April 2021, was open to all SMU postgraduate research students and faculty members. There were more than 20 participants at the Seminar.
The student speaker, Nadhilla Velda MELIA, a 5th Year SMU PhD in Psychology candidate presented on her topic, mentioned above. Associate Professor of Psychology, TSAI Ming-Hong chaired the session.
Participants gained insights from Nadhilla and Associate Professor TSAI Ming-Hong about the relationship between an individual's guilt expression (i.e. the act of apologising) and its positive association with the perception of benevolence.
If the individual expresses guilt, then the person is perceived to be kind and benevolent. If an individual perceives one to be benevolent, then the other would reduce negative reciprocity or punishing behaviour towards the guilt expressor. Nadhilla also shared the relationship between guilt expression and levels of compensation in influencing an individual's perception of sincerity.
