IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jobhdp/v116y2011i2p217-228.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of feedback frequency on learning and task performance: Challenging the “more is better” assumption

Author

Listed:
  • Lam, Chak Fu
  • DeRue, D. Scott
  • Karam, Elizabeth P.
  • Hollenbeck, John R.

Abstract

Previous research on feedback frequency suggests that more frequent feedback improves learning and task performance (Salmoni, Schmidt, & Walter, 1984). Drawing from resource allocation theory (Kanfer & Ackerman, 1989), we challenge the “more is better” assumption and propose that frequent feedback can overwhelm an individual’s cognitive resource capacity, thus reducing task effort and producing an inverted-U relationship with learning and performance over time. We then propose that positive and negative affective states will moderate the inverted-U relationship between feedback frequency and task performance. We test these propositions in an experimental study where the frequency of task feedback is manipulated. Results show that feedback frequency exhibits an inverted-U relationship with task performance, and this relationship is mediated by task effort. This curvilinear relationship is then moderated by individual’s positive affective state.

Suggested Citation

  • Lam, Chak Fu & DeRue, D. Scott & Karam, Elizabeth P. & Hollenbeck, John R., 2011. "The impact of feedback frequency on learning and task performance: Challenging the “more is better” assumption," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 217-228.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:116:y:2011:i:2:p:217-228
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.05.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597811000513
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.05.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Podsakoff, Philip M. & Farh, Jiing-Lih, 1989. "Effects of feedback sign and credibility on goal setting and task performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 45-67, August.
    2. Bandura, Albert, 1991. "Social cognitive theory of self-regulation," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 248-287, December.
    3. Kluger, Avraham N. & Lewinsohn, Shai & Aiello, John R., 1994. "The Influence of Feedback on Mood: Linear Effects on Pleasantness and Curvilinear Effects on Arousal," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 276-299, November.
    4. Vancouver, Jeffrey B. & Morrison, Elizabeth Wolfe, 1995. "Feedback Inquiry: The Effect of Source Attributes and Individual Differences," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 276-285, June.
    5. Lurie, Nicholas H. & Swaminathan, Jayashankar M., 2009. "Is timely information always better? The effect of feedback frequency on decision making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 315-329, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Oluwaseun Niyi Anifowose & Matina Ghasemi & Banji Rildwan Olaleye, 2022. "Total Quality Management and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises’ (SMEs) Performance: Mediating Role of Innovation Speed," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Newman, Andrew H. & Tafkov, Ivo D. & Waddoups, Nathan J. & Xiong, Xiaomei Grazia, 2024. "The effect of reward frequency on performance under cash rewards and tangible rewards," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    3. Hoffmann, Arvid O.I. & Post, Thomas & Pennings, Joost M.E., 2013. "Individual investor perceptions and behavior during the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 60-74.
    4. Andiola, Lindsay M., 2014. "Performance feedback in the audit environment: A review and synthesis of research on the behavioral effects," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-36.
    5. Burnell, Devin & Stevenson, Regan & Fisher, Greg, 2023. "Early-stage business model experimentation and pivoting," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4).
    6. Jukka Luoma & Sampsa Ruutu & Adelaide Wilcox King & Henrikki Tikkanen, 2017. "Time delays, competitive interdependence, and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 506-525, March.
    7. Chao, Ching-Hsiang & Chang, Chuang-Chang & Chen, Tsung-Yu & Wu, Zhen-Xing, 2024. "Determinants of disposition effect in the real estate market: Evidence from Taiwan," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    8. Joyce Rupert & Astrid C. Homan & Karen A. Jehn & Robert Jan Blomme, 2019. "Diversity Composition and Team Learning: The Moderating Role of Error Culture," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 695-722, August.
    9. Romensen, Gert-Jan & Soetevent, Adriaan, 2017. "Tailored Feedback and Worker Green Behavior," Research Report 17016-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    10. Christian Lukas, 2023. "On interim performance evaluations and interdependent period outcomes," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 67-108, March.
    11. Der‐Fa Chen & Peng‐Kwang Chen & Shao‐Hsi Chung & Kuo‐Chih Cheng & Chen‐Ho Wu, 2020. "The influence of performance feedback frequency and affective commitment on the sunk cost effect," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(5), pages 873-882, July.
    12. Sandro Casal & Nives DellaValle & Luigi Mittone & Ivan Soraperra, 2017. "Feedback and efficient behavior," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, April.
    13. Szkudlarek, Betina & Osland, Joyce S. & Nardon, Luciara & Zander, Lena, 2020. "Communication and culture in international business – Moving the field forward," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    14. Oguzhan Aygoren & Stefan Koch, 2021. "Community Support or Funding Amount: Actual Contribution of Reward-Based Crowdfunding to Market Success of Video Game Projects on Kickstarter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.
    15. Adriaan (A.R.) Soetevent & Gert-Jan Romensen, 2017. "Tailored Feedback and Worker Green Behavior: Field Evidence from Bus Drivers," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 17-073/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    16. Allal-Chérif, Oihab & Lombardo, Evelyne & Jaotombo, Franck, 2022. "Serious games for managers: Creating cognitive, financial, technological, social, and emotional value in in-service training," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 166-175.
    17. Bernard Gumah & Liu Wenbin & Maxwell Akansina Aziabah, 2021. "Supervisors’ Leadership Styles’ Influence on Foreign Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in a Cross-Cultural Work Setting: A Moderated Mediation Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, March.
    18. Yangxin Wang & Dora C. Lau, 2022. "How and why job crafting influences creative performance? A resource allocation explanation of the curvilinear moderated relations," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1561-1587, December.
    19. Jun Song & Jibao Gu & Jianlin Wu & Shuo Xu, 2019. "Differential promotive voice–prohibitive voice relationships with employee performance: Power distance orientation as a moderator," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 1053-1077, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andiola, Lindsay M., 2014. "Performance feedback in the audit environment: A review and synthesis of research on the behavioral effects," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-36.
    2. Ravindra K. Jain, 2011. "Entrepreneurial Competencies," Vision, , vol. 15(2), pages 127-152, June.
    3. Nicole Nikiforow & Sebastian Wagener, 2021. "The contextual effect of completion on the effectiveness of performance feedback," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(1), pages 61-90, February.
    4. Kanfer, Ruth & Chen, Gilad, 2016. "Motivation in organizational behavior: History, advances and prospects," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 6-19.
    5. Nouri, Hossein & Kyj, Larissa, 2008. "The effect of performance feedback on prior budgetary participative research using survey methodology: An empirical study," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(8), pages 1431-1453.
    6. Jonas Lechermeier & Martin Fassnacht, 2018. "How do performance feedback characteristics influence recipients’ reactions? A state-of-the-art review on feedback source, timing, and valence effects," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 68(2), pages 145-193, April.
    7. Tran Thi Ngoc Lien, 2024. "Stakeholder Perception of Extracurricular Activities at the Tertiary Level in Vietnam," Studies in Educational Management, EUROKD, vol. 15, pages 35-59.
    8. Carlos Bazan, 2022. "Effect of the University’s Environment and Support System on Subjective Social Norms as Precursor of the Entrepreneurial Intention of Students," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    9. Irene Chu & Mai Chi Vu, 2022. "The Nature of the Self, Self-regulation and Moral Action: Implications from the Confucian Relational Self and Buddhist Non-self," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 245-262, September.
    10. Antonia Grohmann & Lukas Menkhoff & Helke Seitz, 2022. "The Effect of Personalized Feedback on Small Enterprises’ Finances in Uganda," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(3), pages 1197-1227.
    11. Church, Bryan K. & Kuang, Xi (Jason) & Liu, Yuebing (Sarah), 2019. "The effects of measurement basis and slack benefits on honesty in budget reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 74-84.
    12. Narwal, Preeti & Rai, Shivam, 2022. "Individual differences and moral disengagement in Pay-What-You-Want pricing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 528-547.
    13. Chen, Xi & Zhang, Stephen X., 2024. "Too much of two good things: The curvilinear effects of self-efficacy and market validation in new ventures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    14. Xu, Xiaojing & Chen, Chien-fei & Zhu, Xiaojuan & Hu, Qinran, 2018. "Promoting acceptance of direct load control programs in the United States: Financial incentive versus control option," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1278-1287.
    15. Mohammad Reza Nikbakht & Mehrdad Sadr Ara, 2016. "A new experimental model for profit maximization," Journal of Economic and Financial Studies (JEFS), LAR Center Press, vol. 4(3), pages 45-52, June.
    16. Delphine Lacaze, 2005. "Towards A Better Understanding Of Integration Processes: Validation Of A Model Of Newcomers’ Proactive Behaviors [Vers Une Meilleure Comprehension Des Processus D'Integration : Validation D'Un Mode," Post-Print hal-04321292, HAL.
    17. Jaeyeob Jeong & Myeonggil Choi, 2017. "The Expected Job Satisfaction Affecting Entrepreneurial Intention as Career Choice in the Cultural and Artistic Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-16, September.
    18. Jay A. Richards & Martin P. Johnson, 2014. "A Case for Theoretical Integration," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, May.
    19. Pedro Marques-Quinteiro & Luís Curral & Ana Passos, 2012. "Adapting The Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire to The Portuguese Context," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 108(3), pages 553-564, September.
    20. Yi Sun & Shihui Li & Lingling Yu, 2022. "The dark sides of AI personal assistant: effects of service failure on user continuance intention," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(1), pages 17-39, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:116:y:2011:i:2:p:217-228. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.