Person praise and feedback manner significantly interact on task motivation, such that praise raises trials under ego-involving feedback and lowers them under task-involving feedback¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The person praise × feedback manner interaction on number of trials attempted is significant, b = 2.59, p <.001, ΔR² = 0.11. → Cheng-Hong Liu 2026 q3 i? Under task-involving feedback, students receiving person praise attempted fewer items than those not receiving praise (b = −1.8, p <.001); under ego-involving feedback, praise led to more items (b = 0.78, p =.051, marginal). → Cheng-Hong Liu 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Cheng-Hong Liu 2026¶

Cheng-Hong Liu, Xian-Rui Yin. (2026). Effects of person praise on students' motivation and performance under ego-involving and task-involving feedback conditions. Instructional Science (2026) 54:34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09789-0

q3 · i? · causal · r2

OLS regression within a PROCESS Model 7 moderated mediation analysis of the 2×2 experiment (N = 146) found the interaction on trials significant: "b = 2.59, t = 4.57, p <.001, ∆R2 = 0.11", with the interaction term adding 11% to the model's variance explained; the article prints no standardized effect size for the interaction.

"More importantly, the PP × FM interaction was significant, b = 2.59, t = 4.57, p <.001, ∆R2 = 0.11."

Cheng-Hong Liu 2026 (2)¶

Cheng-Hong Liu, Xian-Rui Yin. (2026). Effects of person praise on students' motivation and performance under ego-involving and task-involving feedback conditions. Instructional Science (2026) 54:34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09789-0

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Simple slopes from the same regression-based analysis of 146 randomly assigned junior high students. Ego-involving praise slope: "b = 0.78, t = 1.97, p =.051" (marginal); task-involving praise slope: "b = −1.8, t = −4.47, p <.001".

"Simple slopes analysis showed that for participants under the ego-involving feedback condition, receiving person praise led them to answer more items relative to not receiving praise, b = 0.78, t = 1.97, p =.051."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Students generally attempted fewer items under ego-involving than task-involving feedback, but among praised students the gap was not significant — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Under task-involving feedback, pre-task person praise reduces motivation and indirectly lowers task performance; under ego-involving feedback it indirectly raises performance — related
• Person praise raises state self-esteem (d = 0.40), and under task-involving feedback higher state self-esteem is negatively related to motivation, supporting a distraction mechanism only in the low-threat condition — related
• Praise for intelligence, rather than for effort, after success undermines children's motivation and performance after a later failure — related