A new study at Rutgers University looked at what makes people want feedback and how it affects learning. The study showed that not feeling confident about doing a task really pushed people to ask for help and fix their mistakes, which boosted their learning.
In the study, 59 participants performed a memory task that required them to decide whether to pay for feedback while learning word pairs they were later tested on. Participants earned money that was contingent on their performance during the test phase. So, they had to decide whether the cost of feedback during the learning phase was worth the increased chance of performing better during the test phase and earning more money.
The results showed that participants were more likely to purchase feedback when they were uncertain about their learning accuracy. Additionally, negative feedback (i.e., corrective feedback after an incorrect response) improved test performance by promoting learning. Emotional responses and physiological arousal, measured through skin conductance, were not significant predictors of feedback-seeking behavior, suggesting that these factors may not play as large of a role in shaping decisions to seek performance feedback.
“Our findings suggest that lack of confidence in one’s performance plays a pivotal role in determining the value of feedback information to an individual,” said Dr. Cagna, postdoctoral fellow in the Foundation’s Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research. “Negative feedback can be difficult to accept, but it often provides the most valuable learning opportunities. Teaching people to embrace feedback – even when it’s critical – could greatly enhance learning outcomes in many fields.”
The research emphasized that the informational value of feedback often outweighs the emotional discomfort of being wrong, particularly when tied to a clear incentive, such as monetary rewards. “These insights have practical applications in education, the workplace, and rehabilitation settings, where feedback-seeking behavior is essential for success,” Dr. Cagna concluded.
StepUp Note
This research reminds us that performance feedback is an essential part of learning. We need feedback to know what we’re doing wrong, and how we can do it better. At the same time, we know that negative feedback can reduce how much we learn and remember. In StepUp to Learn, we emphasize the value of self-evaluation. Children learn to “watch and learn, then think and do,” in ways that help them become independent learners. Teachers learn strategies for “noticing” when children are accurately matching the movement and talking. And they learn strategies for “modeling” when an exercise is challenging. Children who look for feedback in the learning process are learning how to become independent learners!
Note by Nancy W Rowe, MS, CCC/A
Reposted from Kessler Foundation