The Role of Trait Anxiety on the Effectiveness of Feedback to Successful and Unsuccessful Trial on Learning of Force Control Task

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of trait anxiety and feedback on the learning of force control task. Forty eight participants were divided into four groups based on their scores in trait anxiety and the type of feedback given to them. They produced the criteria force during the acquisition phase. After 24 hours, the retention and transfer tests were performed. The results of acquisition phase showed that the effect of blocks was significant, but no significant difference was observed between the groups. The results of the retention and transfer tests indicated that giving feedback to successful trials in subjects with high anxiety and giving feedback to unsuccessful trials in subjects with low anxiety resulted in more learning. The findings of the present study showed that considering the learner's trait anxiety level at the time of providing feedback is necessary in order to gain more learning.