Eskreis-Winkler, Lauren; Fishbach, Ayelet
Not Learning From Failure—the Greatest Failure of All Artikel
In: Psychological science, Bd. 30, Nr. 12, S. 1733–1744, 2019, ISSN: 1467-9280.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Schlagwörter: ego threat, failure, feedback, Learning, motivation, O, open data, open materials, preregistered
@article{Eskreis-Winkler2019,
title = {Not Learning From Failure—the Greatest Failure of All},
author = {Lauren Eskreis-Winkler and Ayelet Fishbach},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619881133},
doi = {10.1177/0956797619881133},
issn = {1467-9280},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-11-08},
urldate = {2019-12-18},
journal = {Psychological science},
volume = {30},
number = {12},
pages = {1733–1744},
abstract = {Our society celebrates failure as a teachable moment. Yet in five studies (total N = 1,674), failure did the opposite: It undermined learning. Across studies, participants answered binary-choice questions, following which they were told they answered correctly (success feedback) or incorrectly (failure feedback). Both types of feedback conveyed the correct answer, because there were only two answer choices. However, on a follow-up test, participants learned less from failure feedback than from success feedback. This effect was replicated across professional, linguistic, and social domains—even when learning from failure was less cognitively taxing than learning from success and even when learning was incentivized. Participants who received failure feedback also remembered fewer of their answer choices. Why does failure undermine learning? Failure is ego threatening, which causes people to tune out. Participants learned less from personal failure than from personal success, yet they learned just as much from other people’s failure as from others’ success. Thus, when ego concerns are muted, people tune in and learn from failure.},
keywords = {ego threat, failure, feedback, Learning, motivation, O, open data, open materials, preregistered},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Our society celebrates failure as a teachable moment. Yet in five studies (total N = 1,674), failure did the opposite: It undermined learning. Across studies, participants answered binary-choice questions, following which they were told they answered correctly (success feedback) or incorrectly (failure feedback). Both types of feedback conveyed the correct answer, because there were only two answer choices. However, on a follow-up test, participants learned less from failure feedback than from success feedback. This effect was replicated across professional, linguistic, and social domains—even when learning from failure was less cognitively taxing than learning from success and even when learning was incentivized. Participants who received failure feedback also remembered fewer of their answer choices. Why does failure undermine learning? Failure is ego threatening, which causes people to tune out. Participants learned less from personal failure than from personal success, yet they learned just as much from other people’s failure as from others’ success. Thus, when ego concerns are muted, people tune in and learn from failure.
Kardas, Michael; O’Brien, Ed
Easier Seen Than Done: Merely Watching Others Perform Can Foster an Illusion of Skill Acquisition Artikel
In: Psychological Science, Bd. 29, Nr. 4, S. 521-536, 2018.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Schlagwörter: empathy gap, O, open data, open materials, preregistered, repeated exposure, self-assessment
@article{Kardas2018,
title = {Easier Seen Than Done: Merely Watching Others Perform Can Foster an Illusion of Skill Acquisition},
author = {Michael Kardas and Ed O’Brien},
url = { https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617740646},
doi = {10.1177/0956797617740646},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-02-16},
journal = {Psychological Science},
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {521-536},
abstract = {Modern technologies such as YouTube afford unprecedented access to the skilled performances of other people. Six experiments (N = 2,225) reveal that repeatedly watching others can foster an illusion of skill acquisition. The more people merely watch others perform (without actually practicing themselves), the more they nonetheless believe they could perform the skill, too (Experiment 1). However, people’s actual abilities—from throwing darts and doing the moonwalk to playing an online game—do not improve after merely watching others, despite predictions to the contrary (Experiments 2–4). What do viewers see that makes them think they are learning? We found that extensive viewing allows people to track what steps to take (Experiment 5) but not how those steps feel when taking them. Accordingly, experiencing a “taste” of performing attenuates the illusion: Watching others juggle but then holding the pins oneself tempers perceived change in one’s own ability (Experiment 6). These findings highlight unforeseen problems for self-assessment when watching other people.},
keywords = {empathy gap, O, open data, open materials, preregistered, repeated exposure, self-assessment},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Modern technologies such as YouTube afford unprecedented access to the skilled performances of other people. Six experiments (N = 2,225) reveal that repeatedly watching others can foster an illusion of skill acquisition. The more people merely watch others perform (without actually practicing themselves), the more they nonetheless believe they could perform the skill, too (Experiment 1). However, people’s actual abilities—from throwing darts and doing the moonwalk to playing an online game—do not improve after merely watching others, despite predictions to the contrary (Experiments 2–4). What do viewers see that makes them think they are learning? We found that extensive viewing allows people to track what steps to take (Experiment 5) but not how those steps feel when taking them. Accordingly, experiencing a “taste” of performing attenuates the illusion: Watching others juggle but then holding the pins oneself tempers perceived change in one’s own ability (Experiment 6). These findings highlight unforeseen problems for self-assessment when watching other people.