Feedback acceptance in developmental assessment centers: the role of feedback message, participant personality, and affective response to the feedback session
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AbstractWe investigated feedback acceptance by participants (N=141) in an operational developmental assessment center (AC). Consistent with predictions based on selfenhancement theory and the Affective Infusion Model, results indicated that higher assessor ratings were associated with higher feedback acceptance, and this relationship was partially mediated by the participant's affective reaction to the feedback session. Participants' selfratings of their AC performance did not affect this relationship suggesting no support for our prediction based on selfverification theory. We also investigated the role of participants' selfratings of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability in feedback acceptance by testing specific moderated mediation hypotheses. Extraversion was related to feedback acceptance through the affective reaction to the feedback session. Agreeableness moderated the affective reaction to the feedback session and feedback acceptance relationship such that there was a strong relationship between affective reaction and feedback acceptance for highly agreeable participants, but no relationship for low agreeable individuals. For low agreeable individuals, there was a positive direct relationship between the assessor ratings and feedback acceptance which was not observed for highly agreeable individuals. The hypothesized role of emotional stability in predicting feedback acceptance was not supported. Implications for the delivery of feedback in developmental ACs are discussed in light of these findings. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
