AUDIENCE AND FEEDBACK EFFECTS IN COMPUTER LEARNING

Social factors are often ignored in studies evaluating the effectiveness of instruction provided by computer. Subjects (N = 288) learned a discrimination task with feedback presented by the computer or the examiner. Examiner presence and type of feedback were also manipulated. Main effects of feedback source, examiner presence, and type of feedback were significant; subjects learned better with computer feedback, absent an examiner, and negative feedback. The interaction between feedback source and examiner presence suggests that while both presence and evaluation interfere with performance, evaluation was the critical factor. State Anxiety was also measured, but did not vary as a function of treatment. The findings are congruent with social facilitation theory, but suggest that cognitive interference rather than emotional arousal as the critical element. © 1990.