While most of us are happy to take the credit when things go well, few of us are willing to take the blame when things go wrong. Rather than trying to hide our shame or embarrassment, experts found that we are simply less aware when our actions result in a negative outcome. The research may explain why we often feel it hard to take the blame for our actions. "Our result suggests that people may really experience less responsibility for negative than for positive outcomes," said Patrick Haggard, leading researcher and professor of the institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. In a series of tests, participants were asked to press a key. A sound then followed, either disapproving, neutral or approving, and they were then asked to estimate the time between the action and when they had heard the sound. Researchers found that individuals experienced different levels of responsibility depending on the outcomes. They also discovered they were significantly slower to recognize if their actions had resulted in a bad consequence, compared to when they had done well. "Effectively, we have found that we experience a negative outcome differently, not just retell it differently. We make a weaker connection when there is a bad result. And respond much more strongly when something good happens," said Professor Haggard. When something goes right, everyone wants to take the credit, and when things go wrong, nobody is interested in putting their hands up. The researchers said our brain is "very much concerned" with reward, as good results are key to survival. Although our own perception   of whether we are guilty of something or not is changed by the outcomes, this does not provide a defense if we have done something wrong. "Our experience of our own responsibilities can be misleading and can be strongly colored by the outcomes of our actions," said Professor Haggard. "We have to take responsibility for what we actually do, not just for how we experience things." Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Our level of responsibility can be strongly affected by the outcomes of our actions. When something bad happens, nobody is interested in dealing with the problem. People were quicker to recognize if their actions had resulted in a bad consequence. Participants were asked to count the time between pressing a key and hearing the sound.