Kluger & DeNisi (1998)

Quotes

"This brief historical review illustrates that the effects of feedback interventions on performance have never been consistent or simple."

"Both control theory and FIT claim that behavior is regulated through the control of discrepancies or errors in the system. When a self-regulating system detects discrepancies or errors, the system is motivated to reduce or lower the perceived discrepancies. Even among competing cognitive theories, the detection and evaluation of feedback-standard (or feedback-goal) discrepancies is considered a fundamental source for motivational processes."

"After receiving feedback an individual is very likely to be thinking about something different from what he or she was thinking about before receiving the intervention. Attention can be directed to the self, to the task at hand, or even to the details of the task at hand."

"We predicted that when feedback interventions cause attention to be directed to the self, the risk that feedback interventions will debilitate, rather than enhance, performance increases. Our reasoning was that attention to the self can attenuate the effects of feedback interventions because it depletes cognitive resources necessary for task performance."

Kluger, Avraham N., and Angelo DeNisi. "Feedback interventions: Toward the understanding of a double-edged sword." Current Directions in Psychological Science (1998): 67-72.