Learning from right and wrong
Posted on Jan 19, 2010 by Paul Schempp
As children, we were often told to learn the difference between right and wrong. While those were normally moral lessons, a recent finding from a study conducted in the Netherlands puts a new spin on that old theory. Gemma Corbalan and her colleagues investigated whether knowledge of our correct responses during practice help us recognize the important features of the skill we are attempting to learn and at the same time, assist us in being both more efficient and motivated during our practice.
The study participants who received knowledge of correct response feedback were informed of the aspects of their decision making that contributed correctly to solving the practice problems, as well as aspects of their decision making that inhibited a correct response. In other words, they were informed of what they were doing right and what they were doing wrong as they practiced.
The researchers found that participants that received ‘right and wrong’ feedback were both more efficient and more motivated to practice over participants who were only informed of the quality of their solutions as they practiced their decision making skills. Further, those receiving information about the correctness of their responses were more attentive during practice, saw greater relevance in practice and learning, and reported greater confidence and satisfaction in their problem solving as a result of their practice.
Several important lessons can be found in this research. First, and obviously, knowing right from wrong helps us learn better (my parents were right on this one). But more importantly, the study reveals that we learn better if we can identify both what we do well and what we could do better. Those who only focus on what was done right, or only on what was done wrong, are getting only half the story. And it seems ‘half the story’ leads to less efficient learning and decreased motivation to learn more. Get the whole story and learn from your right and wrong. Research says your performance will improve.
Source: Corbalan, G., Kester, L., & van Merrienbeor, J. (2009). Dynamic task selection: Effects on feedback and learner control on efficiency and motivation. Learning and Instruction, 19(6), 455-465
Tagged: expert, becoming expert, expert practice, motivation, management training