Why Do You Ask?: A Measure of Self-Evaluative Feedback Seeking Motive

Abstract

Research in feedback seeking behavior (FSB) has generally assumed that such behavior is activated by the need to self-assess and reduce one's certainty. FSB literature has paid little attention to self-enhancement and self-verification as motives to seek feedback. Research in self-evaluation has given little attnetion to FSB as a means of self-evaluation. This paper suggests that FSB is activated by self-assessment, self-enhancement and self-verification needs and presents evidence to validate a self-report measure of feedback seeking activated by the three self-evaluative motives. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated superiority of the proposed three-factor model over the two-factor model indicated by exploratory factor analysis and over the one factor model.