Expecting rapid feedback lowers hopes, raises performance
March 04, 2010
By Karen Baird
Anticipating a quick turnaround on test results makes students lower their expectations, yet they actually perform better, new research from the University of Alberta has found.
"The shorter you have to wait, the closer and more tangible is the possibility of disappointment," said Keri Kettle, a PhD student in marketing with the Alberta School of Business. "Potential disappointment is a powerful motivator. To avoid it, you lower your expectations and focus on performing better."
The study found that anticipated feedback times had contrasting effects on actual and predicted performance-people did best precisely when they were the least optimistic.
While the importance of feedback in learning and other domains is well recognized and documented in research, the question of whether performance is influenced by when people expect feedback had not been examined before Keri and collaborating professor Gerald Häubl, also from the Alberta School of Business, studied the topic.
"The mere anticipation of more proximate feedback causes people to perform better," they hypothesized in their paper, soon to be published in the journal Psychological Science.
Keri and Gerald conducted a study in which a total of more than 250 students volunteered to participate. Students were told ahead of time when they would receive their performance results. "Those who anticipated getting feedback soon after their performance did better," said Keri.
"When the possibility of disappointment is more imminent, you're more motivated to avoid it," Keri concluded. "You do everything in your power to avoid disappointment, so you lower your expectations and raise your performance."
As a lesson for the workplace, Keri said: "For supervisors and others who are responsible for mentoring and evaluating performance ... it is important that their staff come to expect immediate feedback. It's a powerful motivator."
For further information, contact:
Monica Wegner
Communications Strategist
University of Alberta
Alberta School of Business
780.492.7996
monica.wegner@ualberta.ca