Interpreting and reacting to feedback in stereotype-relevant performance domains

Feedback on task performance is often phrased in subjective language (e.g., “not bad!”), but how do recipients understand or translate that feedback into a clear, objective, performance metric? We suggest that when feedback is provided in a stereotype-relevant domain, translation is made with reference to stereotyped expectations for one's group. In Study 1, women and men were exposed to negative subjective feedback about their performance on a leadership task; in Study 2, Black and White participants were provided subjective negative feedback, or no feedback, on an academic writing task. Women relative to men, and Black students relative to White students, translated their feedback to indicate objectively worse performance. Furthermore, this translation mediated a drop in the importance placed on the domain among women and Blacks. This research extends the literature on gender- and race-based reactions to feedback by noting the importance of the immediate interpretation of the feedback received.

► We examined whether subjective performance feedback is translated relative to gender- and race-based expectations.
► Subjective feedback was translated to indicate a worse objective performance by members of negatively stereotyped groups.
► For women and Blacks, domain importance fell from pre- to post feedback, an effect mediated by feedback translation.
► Performance decrements were documented among negatively stereotyped group members following negative feedback.
► The immediate translation of feedback may be important for understanding the negative consequences of feedback for minorities.