Feedback

What is feedback?

Feedback is information about an action, performance, or result. It can describe what happened, compare the result with a standard, or show a gap. A comment, score, or activity display can provide feedback, but receiving information does not guarantee improvement.

Does feedback improve performance?

Kluger and DeNisi (1996) synthesized 607 effect sizes from feedback interventions. Performance improved on average, but more than a third of the effects indicated a decrease. Whether feedback was positive or negative did not explain that pattern by itself. Their theory emphasizes where the feedback directs attention: toward the task or toward concerns about the self.

Examples of feedback

• A teacher’s comments identify a reasoning error.
• A performance review compares completed work with an agreed standard.
• A fitness app reports the distance covered.

Each example provides information about something that happened. The useful next step depends on what the information reveals.

Feedback, reinforcement, and punishment

Favorable and unfavorable feedback are not the same as reinforcement and punishment. Those learning terms depend on changes in future behavior. Feedback is also distinct from praise or instructions, though one message can combine them.

What makes feedback useful?

Ask what the recipient learns, where the message directs attention, and whether the information can guide the next attempt. Timing, detail, and format should fit the task. More comments, scores, or notifications can mean more information without meaning better performance.