Browsing by Author "Levy, Paul E."

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    The effects of feedback sign, attributional discrepancy, and performance discrepancy on reactions to feedback
    Levy, Paul E. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989)
    The present investigation examined the effects of three factors - feedback sign, performance discrepancy, and attributional discrepancy - on reactions to feedback as measured by three groups of dependent variables (reactions against the feedback itself, reactions against the feedback source, and reactions against the feedback system). Hypothesis 1 was supported in that feedback sign affected feedback reactions as predicted. Hypotheses 2 and 3 were not supported as feedback sign did not interact in the expected manner with performance discrepancy or attributional discrepancy. However, performance discrepancy and attributional discrepancy were identified as important determinants of feedback reactions as well. The results of this study are discussed with respect to control theory and implications for organizational settings. Suggestions are made regarding the direction of future research.
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    Effects of self-esteem, evaluation modality and success contingency on goal choice: an integration of goal setting and self- handicapping theories
    Levy, Paul E. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986)
    The current study examined the impact of self-presentation and self-esteem concerns on goal choice. Subjects who were high or low in self-esteem worked on a series of analogies and were presented with noncontingent or contingent success feedback. They were then told that their performance on an upcoming puzzle task would be either public or private. Subjects were then allowed to choose a goal level for the upcoming task. Subsequent performance on a standard test was measured. In general, males chose more difficult goals than did females and high esteem subjects chose more difficult goals than did low esteem subjects. Analyses indicated that when low esteem male subjects were given noncontingent success feedback and were led to believe that their choice of goal was public, they reported lower performance expectations and showed a tendency to choose more difficult goals than did comparison groups. No performance differences emerged across any of the experimental conditions. The results are discussed within goal setting theory and in light of previous research on self-handicapping. The implications of this investigation for future research are also considered.