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Abstract

Feedback by interviewers has taken the form of providing information or social approval both of which are frequently confounded. To differentiate these meanings, separate groups of Ss participated in a verbal conditioning experiment where each group received either informative feedback, which provided knowledge about correctness and incorrectness or affective feedback which provided approval or disapproval. Each group used the same feedback, a chime (positive) or buzzer (negative). Meaning was induced by different feedback training on a preliminary task. Results indicated that both informative and affective feedback led to conditioning. However, affective feedback was not as effective as informative in yielding a high performance level. No differences were obtained between positive and negative feedback. Implications were discussed in relation to interviewing behavior and the training of interviewers.

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Informative and Affective Feedback: Implications for Interviewing

Abstract

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