Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

McCarthy, Randy J.

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Performance feedback is a valuable tool for bolstering workplace performance, but the prospect of receiving feedback is often aversive, leading to decreased acceptance, increased turnover intent, and increased recipient stress. One plausible explanation for why critical feedback can be aversive is that feedback is face-threatening. Politeness theory suggests that pro social agents can intentionally attenuate face-threat while still communicating intrinsically threatening information. Pro-social teasing, a humorous form of off-record communication, is one such method, offering a potentially less aversive mode of performance feedback. A sample of 133 participants read a vignette where they took on the role of a grocery store supervisor. Participants completed an in-basket task performance simulation and were then granted either teasing or direct feedback from either an interpersonally close or interpersonally distant supervisor. Teasing feedback was perceived as well-intended and likely to be heeded specifically when they perceived the feedback giver as interpersonally close, but direct feedback was actually perceived as more well-intended and likely to be heeded than teasing feedback. Overall, feedback from interpersonally close supervisors was perceived as more positive, well-intended, and likely to be heeded than feedback from less close supervisors. While further exploration is needed, these data provide early evidence that teasing, under the right conditions, could be a less threatening performance feedback tool, but direct feedback from a close supervisor appears to be the more psychologically safe method in most contexts.

Extent

93 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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