Positive Feedback
Given

Participants who reported giving positive feedback generally experienced enhanced social perceptions of themselves. Giving positive feedback reinforced feelings of social connectedness and competence. Those who frequently offered positive feedback were more likely to view themselves as supportive, kind, and socially adept. This aligns with findings that people who give positive reinforcement tend to strengthen their own social roles as leaders or helpers, reinforcing positive self-perceptions.

Positive Feedback
Received

Receiving positive feedback contributed to elevated self-esteem and feelings of social belonging. Participants who received recent positive feedback often perceived themselves as more valued in social and professional contexts. This aligns with research suggesting that positive feedback bolsters self-concept and reinforces positive social bonds. However, individuals who received overly frequent or insincere positive feedback sometimes reported skepticism or felt the feedback lacked authenticity, which could diminish its positive effects.

Negative Feedback
Given

Participants who gave negative feedback tended to report mixed outcomes. On the one hand, delivering constructive criticism was associated with a sense of authority and responsibility, contributing to feelings of competence. However, participants also reported a greater sense of social strain when delivering critical feedback, as it sometimes led to tension or conflict in interpersonal relationships. This reflects research showing that while giving negative feedback can contribute to personal growth and leadership development, it can also lead to social friction and decreased social harmony.

Negative Feedback
Received

Receiving negative feedback was generally associated with a decrease in self-esteem and an increase in self-criticism, particularly among individuals with lower baseline self-esteem. However, participants with higher openness to experience or conscientiousness were more likely to view negative feedback as constructive, using it as an opportunity for personal development. This trend aligns with findings in personality psychology that suggest feedback reception is influenced by individual differences, with more resilient individuals using criticism as a tool for self-improvement, while others may experience it as a threat to self-concept.

Participants

The study recruited a total of 342 participants, primarily drawn from Seattle University and the surrounding community. The recruitment process largely relied on university channels, such as online student forums, flyers, and email invitations, which contributed to the demographic makeup of the sample. Given the university’s geographic and demographic context, the participant pool was predominantly composed of young adults, with the majority aged between 18 and 25 years. This reflects a common demographic skew in social science research, particularly studies conducted at academic institutions.

In terms of racial and ethnic composition, the majority of participants identified as white, further highlighting the study’s alignment with the W.E.I.R.D. (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) model. While the study did include participants from diverse racial backgrounds, non-white groups were underrepresented, limiting the ability to generalize the findings across different racial or ethnic groups. Additionally, the sample was primarily English-speaking, which further narrows the cultural and linguistic diversity within the study.

The educational background of participants also leaned heavily towards individuals pursuing or having completed higher education. This is a typical limitation in university-based research, as it often fails to capture the perspectives of individuals with lower levels of formal education. Socioeconomically, the sample was similarly skewed towards individuals from relatively advantaged backgrounds, with most participants either students or recent graduates.

Data Collection

Participants were surveyed using an online questionnaire distributed by the Seattle University Personality Psychology Lab. The survey consisted of questions designed to assess participants’ most recent experiences of both giving and receiving positive and negative feedback. The questions aimed to capture the context of the feedback, the nature of the feedback (positive or negative), and how it influenced participants’ perceptions of themselves and others. The survey was administered using a combination of standardized psychological measures and custom-designed questions aimed at capturing nuances of feedback in interpersonal contexts. The survey was anonymous, and all participants provided informed consent prior to participation. The study was approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) in compliance with ethical guidelines for research with human subjects.

Once data collection was complete, the raw data were cleaned and scored by the research team. As part of this process, participant responses were categorized into predefined scales based on the type of feedback (positive or negative, given or received) and its perceived impact. Data analysis was conducted using both Microsoft Excel (phase 1) for preliminary sorting and descriptive statistics, and JASP (phase 2) for more advanced statistical analyses. Various statistical tests, including t-tests and regression analyses, were used to determine significant patterns and relationships in how feedback affected social perception

Ethical Considerations

The survey was designed using a combination of standardized psychological measures and custom-developed questions aimed at capturing the nuances of giving and receiving feedback in interpersonal contexts. All participants provided informed consent before beginning the survey, which was administered anonymously to protect participant confidentiality. Additionally, participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. The study received approval from Seattle University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), ensuring that it adhered to ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects, including considerations for participant safety, privacy, and data security.

Limitations

The study’s limitations primarily stem from its sample, which consisted predominantly of young, white, English-speaking individuals, reflecting a common bias in social science research known as the W.E.I.R.D. model (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). This lack of diversity restricts the ability to generalize the findings to broader populations, particularly those from non-Western cultures, older age groups, and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, the study’s heavy reliance on self-reported data may introduce biases, such as social desirability, where participants could alter their responses to align with what they perceive as socially acceptable. These factors limit the study’s capacity to fully capture the complexities of how feedback is given and received across different cultural and demographic contexts.