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Improving the effectiveness of performance feedback by considering personality traits and task demands
Victor Swift1, Jordan B Peterson1
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Plos One
|May 23, 2018
Summary
Individual differences in personality and task difficulty significantly impact how performance feedback affects motivation. Conscientious and Neurotic individuals show unique responses to feedback based on task frustration levels.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Human Motivation
Background:
- Performance feedback is a common tool for enhancing motivation.
- Its effectiveness is often inconsistent due to individual differences and situational factors.
- The combined influence of personality and task difficulty on feedback's motivational impact is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how personality traits and task difficulty jointly moderate the motivational effects of performance feedback.
- To explore the differential impact of false positive and negative feedback across various task types.
Main Methods:
- A study involving three samples (N=916) examined the Big Five personality traits.
- Participants received false positive and negative feedback on playful, neutral, and frustrating puzzle tasks.
- Statistical analyses were used to identify moderating effects.
Main Results:
- Conscientiousness and Neuroticism emerged as key moderators.
- These traits influenced motivation differently depending on task difficulty and feedback valence.
- Specifically, Conscientious and Neurotic individuals were more motivated by negative feedback on easy tasks and demotivated by negative feedback on difficult tasks.
Conclusions:
- Personality and task difficulty significantly interact to shape the motivational impact of performance feedback.
- Findings align with Goal-Setting Theory and Self-Determination Theory.
- Results offer insights for optimizing feedback strategies in educational and industrial settings.
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