Summary: A new study finds that people who lack confidence in their performance are more likely to seek corrective feedback, and that this behavior substantially improves learning. By examining choices made during a memory task tied to monetary rewards, the researchers show that uncertainty—rather than emotional reactions like stress—drives the demand for feedback. Negative feedback, though uncomfortable, proved especially effective at promoting learning.
These results emphasize the importance of feedback design in education, workplace training, and rehabilitation programs, where targeted, informative feedback can meaningfully boost outcomes.
Key facts
- Low confidence in one’s performance increases the likelihood of seeking feedback and leads to better learning outcomes.
- Corrective (negative) feedback tends to produce the largest gains in subsequent test performance.
- Reported emotions and physiological arousal (skin conductance) did not reliably predict decisions to seek feedback.
Source: Kessler Foundation
Study overview
The paper, “Decisions to Seek Cognitive Performance Feedback: Potential Determinants of Feedback Value and Consequences for Learning,” was published in the November 2024 issue of Learning and Motivation. The study was co-led by Christopher J. Cagna, PhD, of Kessler Foundation, and Jamil P. Bhanji, PhD, of Rutgers University. Additional contributors included Mauricio R. Delgado, PhD, and Elizabeth Tricomi, PhD, of Rutgers University, and Da’Quallon Smith of the London School of Economics.
Experimental design
At Rutgers University, 59 volunteers completed an associative memory task in which they learned word pairs. During the learning phase, on each trial participants decided whether to pay a small fee to receive feedback about their response. Feedback decisions were made with a future performance-contingent monetary reward in mind: participants earned money based on their test performance later, so purchasing feedback could increase expected earnings by improving accuracy on the final test.
Main findings
Analysis revealed that participants were more likely to buy feedback when they felt uncertain about their answers—lower confidence predicted higher purchase rates. Importantly, receiving corrective feedback after incorrect responses led to measurable improvements on the later test, confirming that negative feedback can be particularly informative and beneficial for learning.
The study also measured emotional responses and physiological arousal via skin conductance response (SCR) during feedback decisions. Neither self-reported emotional reactions nor SCR reliably predicted whether participants chose to purchase feedback. This suggests that uncertainty and perceived informational value, rather than momentary emotional arousal, primarily drive decisions to seek performance feedback.
Implications
These findings indicate that confidence plays a critical role in how learners value feedback. When individuals are aware of their uncertainty, they are more likely to seek corrective information that improves performance. Because negative feedback often provides the clearest error signal, encouraging learners to accept and use such feedback—despite its emotional cost—can accelerate learning. This insight is relevant for designing feedback systems in classrooms, professional training, and rehabilitation settings where improving performance is the objective.
Researcher comment
“Our results suggest that lack of confidence in one’s performance is a key driver of the subjective value of feedback,” said Dr. Cagna, a postdoctoral fellow in the Foundation’s Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research. “Although negative feedback can feel unpleasant, it often carries the most useful information for learning. Teaching people to view corrective feedback as an opportunity rather than a setback could improve outcomes across many domains.”
Funding
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Grant #DA027764), the National Science Foundation (Grant #BCS1756065), and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Grant #MB-2107-38097).
About this research news
Author: Deb Hauss
Source: Kessler Foundation
Contact: Deb Hauss – Kessler Foundation
Image: Image credit: Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access. “Decisions to Seek Cognitive Performance Feedback: Potential Determinants of Feedback Value and Consequences for Learning” by Christopher J. Cagna et al., published in Learning and Motivation.
Abstract
Decisions to Seek Cognitive Performance Feedback: Potential Determinants of Feedback Value and Consequences for Learning
Performance feedback is a central component of effective learning because it offers both informational and affective content. Negative feedback signals an error and can feel unpleasant, which may reduce the perceived value of its constructive information and discourage people from seeking it. Understanding the factors that shape how people value feedback is therefore critical.
This study examined behavioral and physiological contributors to feedback valuation and to subsequent feedback-seeking. Fifty-nine participants completed a willingness-to-pay associative memory task, making trial-by-trial decisions to purchase or forgo feedback while trying to maximize a monetary reward tied to later test performance. Skin conductance response (SCR) was recorded during feedback decisions.
Lower confidence in a response significantly predicted a greater likelihood of purchasing feedback during learning. Neither self-reported emotional reactions to feedback nor SCR during decision-making predicted feedback purchases. Trials in which participants purchased feedback and received corrective information were associated with better performance on the later test.
These findings indicate that learners’ confidence levels strongly influence how they value performance feedback. Designing interventions and incentive structures that recognize and address uncertainty may encourage productive feedback-seeking and improve learning in settings where performance matters.