Evaluating feedback frequency preference and its relation to task performance
Give lots of feedback at first, then fade it as performance rises because that is what learners prefer.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Thibodeaux et al. (2025) asked 24 college students to sort shapes on a computer.
The task had two levels: easy and hard. After each round the students picked how often they wanted feedback.
Researchers tracked both accuracy and the chosen feedback rate.
What they found
When students scored high they asked for feedback less often.
When the task got harder they wanted feedback more often.
So skill level, not the person, drives feedback preference.
How this fits with other research
LeBlanc et al. (2020) showed that better tools, not more feedback, raise staff accuracy. This lines up: the current study says staff will naturally want less feedback once they are accurate.
McIntyre et al. (2002) taught parents FBA skills in four short lessons. Parents improved without extra feedback, matching the new finding that learners need less feedback as they master a skill.
Smith et al. (1997) found that tough child behavior made teachers drop good practices. The new study adds a fix: taper feedback as teachers succeed to keep the protocol light and sustainable.
Why it matters
You can stop over-feeding your staff. Start with frequent feedback, then cut back as their data climb. This keeps them engaged and saves you time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Many researchers have evaluated how characteristics of feedback may influence trainee performance, but relatively little attention has been allocated to directly assessing trainee preference for feedback characteristics and its relation to performance. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to use a within-subject experimental design to directly assess trainee preference for the frequency of feedback and its relation to task performance. A secondary objective was to evaluate how trainee preferences varied across specific task components based on component complexity. Thirty-five undergraduate students completed two arbitrary tasks and were given the opportunity to request feedback after each component of the task. For 85.71% of our participants, an inverse relation was observed between preference for feedback frequency and task performance. Participants requested feedback less often as performance improved. Feedback preferences also varied with the complexity of each component of the task. Implications for training, supervision, and feedback practices are discussed.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2025 · doi:10.1002/jaba.2932