LAUSR

The most prominent view in psychological theory has been that negative feedback should generally have a detrimental impact on intrinsic motivation. Competing perspectives and caveats on this view have suggested that negative feedback may sometimes have neutral or even positive effects. This meta-analysis of 78 studies examined the effect of negative feedback on intrinsic motivation in both child and adult samples. Results indicated that negative feedback had no effect on intrinsic motivation when compared to neutral or no feedback. When compared to positive feedback, negative feedback decreased intrinsic motivation. Moderator tests revealed that the effect of negative feedback seemed to be less demotivating when (a) the feedback statement included instructional details on how to improve, (b) criterion-based standards were used to provide feedback, and (c) feedback was delivered in-person. Implications for future research and applications to real-world settings are discussed.