Date of Award

8-1-1984

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. James Thomas

Abstract

Feedback has often been used as a means of improving employee performance. It is generally believed that feedback has a positive influence on performance, but little is known about the factos that influence acceptance of feedback (Ilgen, Fisher, & Tayler, 1979). The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of supervisor credibility, sex of supervisor, and sex of subject on feedback acceptance. Subjects read a description of either a male or female supervisor, and the credibility of the supervisor was manipulated in these descriptions. Subjects listened to a taped feedback session, and then responded to a questionnaire developed to measure feedback acceptance. Results of a 2 x 2 x2 (Supervisor Credibility x Sex of Supervisor x Sex of Subject) analysis of variance failed to provide support for the hypothesized main effects for supervisor credibility, sex of supervisor, and sex of subject. In addition, the results failed to support the hypothesized interaction between sex of supervisor and sex of subject or the interaction between sex of supervisor and supervisor credibility. There were, however, several methodological limitations inherent in this study that could habe contributed to the nonsignificant findings.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Psychology and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 1984, Tracy Innaurato

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