Examining the Effects of Negative Performance Feedback: the Roles of Sadness, Feedback Self-Efficacy, and Grit

We investigate the effects of performance feedback on a subsequent performance task and the mediating role of sadness. Drawing on the appraisal tendency framework, we expect that negative performance feedback increases sadness, which then spills over to negatively affect performance on a future task. In addition, we expect two individual traits—feedback self-efficacy and grit—to moderate the relationship, such that the negative effect of sadness on subsequent task performance is weakened for individuals with high feedback self-efficacy and high grit. We use face-based emotion recognition software to capture emotion expression during the delivery of positive and negative feedback. We find support for our mediated moderation model in a sample of 96 participants. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.