Increasing Feedback Seeking in Public Contexts: It Takes Two (or More) to Tango

Two studies examined the effects of the feedback-seeking context on the feedback-seeking process. Previous research has suggested that the publicness of the feedback-seeking context influences the degree to which individuals seek performance feedback ( S. J. Ashford & G. B. Northcraft, 1992 ; P. E. Levy, M. D. Albright, B. D. Cawley, & J. R. Williams, 1995 ). The current 2 studies extend the feedback-seeking model outlined by P. E. Levy et al. (1995) by examining the influence that contextual manipulations (i.e., source supportiveness and peer reactions) have on feedback seeking in the public context. Overall results suggest that the frequency of feedback seeking can be increased substantially in a public setting if the supportiveness of source and peer reactions are positive.