Posted by Qin Zhao, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Western Kentucky University
You return the test and see two numbers: your score and your percentage. Or the performance review shows both your ranking and how you stack up against your peers. Which is more important to how you feel and your self-esteem and what you do in the future?
Intuitively, many people think that ratings are more important. After all, comparisons are everywhere: leaderboards, curves, and “out of the box” labels. But the research tells a different story: your actual absolute performance has a stronger and more reliable impact on performance satisfaction, emotions, and future expectations than how you rank against others.
Absolute vs
Absolute continuous feedback refers to performance data relative to the standard (eg, 8 out of 12; 4 out of 5). Relative position reasoning refers to information about standing in comparison to others (eg, “70th percentile”; “above average”). In real life we often accept both. The question is which one weighs the most in their evaluation.
What the evidence shows
In multiple experiments (in Zhao, 2022), college students completed math problems and were then randomly assigned to receive various combinations of high or low absolute scores (e.g., 8 vs. 4 out of 12) and high or low relative ratings (e.g., 70% better than 30% of others). This design (see Figure 1) allowed me to examine how absolute scores and relative ratings work together to influence outcomes, as well as how each type of feedback influences outcomes independently. To ensure that the results reflect the effects of the assigned feedback, I calculated the participants’ actual performance in the analyses.
The pattern of results was clear:
- Absolute scores (high and low) consistently shaped how satisfied people felt with their performance and influenced their overall positive and negative affect.
- Relative ratings (high and low) had weaker or sometimes no effect on these results.
- When predicting future performance, people used the type of information they were given (scores to predict future scores, percentages to predict future ratings). But when people received high absolute scores, the effect of ratings on predicting future ratings was reduced.
In other words, knowing that you got an “8” or a “4” was more important to performance and emotional satisfaction than knowing that you outperformed 70% or 30% of the group. When both were available, absolute scores carried more psychological weight.
Does the reward context change the story?
What if rewards depend on ratings? In classrooms, workplaces, and competitions, people often know that success is defined by standards or by beating others. We might expect relative feedback to be dominant when rewards are based on ranks.
However, a follow-up experiment (Zhao, 2023) showed that regardless of the context of the reward (grade or rating), absolute scores on a math test (e.g., 6 vs. 2 out of 8) still had a stronger effect on job satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and sense of belonging in math. Ratings (e.g., 70% preferred to 30% others) influenced some outcomes, but the effects were smaller and more context-dependent. For example, ratings influenced job satisfaction only when students were told that rewards depended on others’ superiority.
To create different reward contexts, I instructed students in the grade-based group to focus on getting as many questions correct as possible and told them that reaching a certain score (≥ 6/8) would allow them to move on to the next set of problems. Students in the rating-based group were told to focus on the superiority of the other participants, and a rating above a certain percentage of others (≥70%) would allow them to advance to the next set.
As in a previous study (Zhao, 2022), the participants of the feedback received (in Zhao, 2023) were randomly assigned, not based on their actual performance. To ensure that the results reflect the effects of the assigned feedback, I included the participants’ actual performance in the analyses. The study also looked at how often participants compared themselves to other people.
Why might absolute feedback be more important?
In 1954, psychologist Leo Festinger argued that self-esteem is social and comparative in nature, but we typically look first to absolute/objective standards. When absolute standards are unavailable or unclear, we rely on comparisons with other people, especially those similar to us in ability or circumstances.
An absolute score is usually more accurate and stable because it is based on established criteria and independent of the performance of others (eg, a test score of 85 out of 100; a GPA of 3.8 out of 4). The score tells us what we have achieved and what we can aim for next time.
In contrast, relative ranking depends on context: our percentage may change simply because the comparison group changes, not because we did better or worse. This makes relative feedback less tenable as a basis for self-evaluation. For example, a score of 75 out of 100 may be the highest score in a low-achieving group, but below average in a high-achieving group. This is not to say that comparisons are irrelevant. But when it comes to how we evaluate ourselves and regulate our emotions in task situations, absolute performance appears to be the anchor.
Practical guidelines for teaching, coaching and management
- Leading the way. When providing feedback, clearly communicate absolute performance prior to rating to support accurate self-evaluation. An absolute score provides a clear performance target and allows people to track progress over time against a target. Especially in high- or low-achieving groups, absolute feedback helps people not underestimate or overestimate their abilities.
- Teach people to interpret ratings correctly. Relative rankings can be informative in a competitive context. Always provide a reference group when providing feedback on ratings. For example, taking the 5th place out of 10 students is very different from the 5th place out of 100 students.
- Encourage self-improvement, not just social comparison. Emphasize what has been achieved and what lies ahead. Encourage people to grow more than just telling them where they stand.
We live in a world where busyness is “where you get it.” However, in task performance contexts with clear objective indicators, absolute performance indicators provide more direct and informative cues for self-esteem. If the goal is to promote real self-esteem, feedback based on absolute performance is our most powerful tool.
