A historical perspective of the impact of feedback on behaviour

Notes that during the past 100 years, a significant amount of social science research has attempted to elucidate the relationship between feedback and behaviour. Research designs and behavioural models clearly reflected the researcher’s basic assumptions about the determinants of human behaviour. Behaviourism, for example, had a pervasive influence on feedback research, especially during the first half of the century. During the 1940s, more cognitive approaches began to emerge. Recently, the importance of contextual variables has been recognized. Explores how these trends in psychology have affected feedback research and models. Also discusses the future of feedback research.