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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Person-praise participants scored higher on state self-esteem than no-praise participants, t(144) = 2.39, p =.018, d = 0.40. → Cheng-Hong Liu 2026 q3 i? Under task-involving feedback, state self-esteem was negatively related to number of trials (b = −0.68, p =.003), while under ego-involving feedback it was not associated (b = 0.10, p =.679); the moderated serial mediation index was significant (0.88, CI 0.04 to 2.20). → 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 · i2 · causal · r2

Manipulation check t test in the preliminary analyses of the 146 completers showed person praise raised state self-esteem: "t (144) = 2.39, p =.018, d = 0.40" (M = 4.45 vs. M = 4.11).

"participants under the person praise condition scored higher on the state self-esteem items (M = 4.45, SD = 0.86) than did participants under the no praise condition ( M = 4.11, SD = 0.84), t (144) = 2.39, p =.018, d = 0.40."

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

PROCESS Model 92 moderated serial mediation (PP→state self-esteem→trials→performance, FM moderating two paths) in the 146-participant experiment. The serial moderated mediation index was "Index = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.04 to 2.20"; the negative conditional indirect effect occurred only under task-involving feedback (−0.83, CI −2.12 to −0.06).

"Simple slope analysis revealed that for participants under the task-involving feedback condition, state self-esteem was negatively related to the number of trials, b = −0.68, t = −3.00, p =.003."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Students generally attempted fewer items under ego-involving than task-involving feedback, but among praised students the gap was not significant — related
• 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 — related
• Under task-involving feedback, pre-task person praise reduces motivation and indirectly lowers task performance; under ego-involving feedback it indirectly raises performance — related
• Praise for intelligence, rather than for effort, after success undermines children's motivation and performance after a later failure — related