An Investigation of Directive Feedback and Basic Feedback: Measuring Task Productivity, Perceived Stress, Control and Demand, Throughout a Forced Choice Progressive Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement |
| Abstract: Performance feedback may serve as one or more types of stimulus in the behavioral three-term contingency. In organizational settings, leaders, managers and workers benefit from well-designed behavior control systems. These systems may contribute, at differing levels of efficacy, towards maximizing measures of productivity, accuracy and problem-solving behavior through individual and group environmental intervention using feedback. An important challenge in designing effective feedback is to capture impact on productivity and promotion of worker’s well-being. In this study we investigated two styles of feedback, labeled basic feedback and directive feedback, using a counterbalanced repeated measures design. Each type of feedback was presented on progressive ratio schedules over fixed and free-choice conditions as independent variables. Dependent variables included self-reported productivity, accuracy, and social validity (task control, stress and response effort demands). The data demonstrate higher level of accuracy associated with directive feedback when compared to basic feedback conditions. Moreover, the results indicate perceived control in the context of increasing ratio schedule to be higher in the directive feedback compared to basic feedback condition. |