Association between the Effects of Positive Social-Comparative Feedback and Learners’ Competitiveness

Abstract

This study examined the effects of positive social-comparative feedback on learners’ intrinsic motivation on a motor learning task, as well as its association with learners’ competitiveness. The participants, who performed a balance task in a positive social-comparative feedback and a control group, were assessed for performance outcome, perceived competence, and competitiveness. The positive social-comparative feedback group demonstrated more effective balance performance than the control group on the retention test. In addition, the participants in the positive social-comparative feedback group reported significantly higher perceived competence than the participants in the control group after practice. Further, a subscale of learners’ competitiveness—instrumental competitiveness—predicted the performance on a retention test in the positive social-comparative feedback group, but not in the control group. Our results suggest that positive social-comparative feedback is not beneficial to all learners, and may even be less effective for learners with lower competitiveness.

Keywords:

• intrinsic motivation
• motor learning
• perceived competence
• postural stability

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the JSPS KAKENHI [Grant Number JP18K17763] to KA. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.