Immediate Feedback: A Misconception of a Recommended Practice (Standard)

Description

Feedback is a common and evidence-based practice to improve performance. While feedback is widely used and researched in the training and educational settings, the literature does not provide a clear and consistent definition for feedback. Due to the unclear definition, two misconceptions are evident in the feedback literature: (a) immediate feedback is more effective then delayed feedback, and (b) feedback serves as a consequence to behavior. In this talk the misconceptions of immediate feedback and the function of feedback will be discussed in light of the vague definition of feedback in the behavioral literature. A clearer definition which meets all seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis will be suggested and recent study results will be presented to propose that feedback serves as an antecedent to performance and therefore should be provided immediately before the behavior. The talk will end with a number of suggestions for future research.