The effect of expectations on satisfaction when feedback about performance is not provided

This study explores the relationships between expectations that individuals hold prior to their performance, assessments of the performance, and satisfaction with the performance. Past research examined these questions mainly in situations in which individuals knew the quality of their performance at the time they reported their satisfaction with it. In these situations it was found that satisfaction increased with the level of performance but decreased with the level of expectations. Our study explored whether this analysis fits situations in which explicit feedback is not provided, so that performers must assess their own level of performance. Under these conditions satisfaction increased with the level of perceived performance, but did not decrease with the level of expectations. The results point to some general conditions under which expectations have either positive or negative influence on satisfaction. Specifically, as the ambiguity of performance increases and the ambiguity of expectations decreases, expectations are more likely to be positively associated with satisfaction.