Walk the Talk: The Effects of Apology and Reparation After Acts of Prejudice

In an era of abundant high-profile apologies, many of which are perceived to be cheap and insincere, it is crucial to understand what constitutes a meaningful response from a high-status perpetrator. In each of three studies using a 2 (apology: present, absent) x 2 (reparation: present, absent) within-subjects design, we presented participants (Ntotal = 297) with 16 vignettes describing acts of prejudice and perpetrators’ responses. The presence of an apology and of reparation each independently predicted more positive perceptions of the perpetrator’s response. Reparation exerted a stronger effect than apology on overall ratings (Study 1) and on ratings of the response’s impact (Studies 2 and 3). Additionally, responses were perceived more positively overall in the context of close relationships (Study 3). We suggest that while apology and reparation are each key to an effective response, reparation plays an especially important role in predicting positive reception to a response to prejudicial harm.