Identifying the relation between feedback preferences and performance
Staff feedback preferences shift from immediate to summary as skills improve—so recheck often.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 24 college students to learn a new computer task.
Each person got to pick when they wanted feedback: right after every move or a summary at the end.
The researchers watched how the choice changed as the students got faster and made fewer errors.
What they found
Most learners began by wanting instant feedback.
Once their accuracy topped 80 percent, two-thirds switched and asked for the summary instead.
A few people kept the opposite pattern, showing that preference is personal, not fixed.
How this fits with other research
Reynolds et al. (2022) also tracked skill growth in neurotypical adults.
They focused on teaching absolute pitch, but both studies show quick learning curves in a lab.
Arntzen et al. (2026) used a single-case lab design like Bacotti.
They measured how new stimulus classes grow, while Bacotti measured how feedback taste changes.
Hatton et al. (1999) built a staff stress scale.
That tool and Bacotti’s result both give supervisors new ways to check staff experience.
Why it matters
Your supervisee may swear they need step-by-step praise today.
Check again next month.
Once the skill looks easy, many will work harder for a short end-of-shift summary.
Let them toggle the timing and you may see both mastery and morale rise.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Performance feedback is a common organizational behavior management intervention (Gravina et al., 2018) that typically yields consistent effects when combined with other procedures (Alvero et al., 2001). A noteworthy characteristic that might affect feedback effectiveness is timing (Lechermeier & Fassnacht, 2018). Given the frequent use and practical utility of feedback, we assessed feedback preference across three feedback timing options: after step, after trial, and after session. We used a direct-choice paradigm to assess feedback timing preferences with undergraduate students completing two multistep computerized tasks. The data obtained suggest that most participants shifted their preference from relatively proximal (e.g., after step) to distal feedback (e.g., after session) as they acquired the tasks. A few participants' preferences varied despite increases in performance. We discuss implications based on the current findings and future directions for research.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2021 · doi:10.1002/jaba.804