Jacobs, A., Jacobs, M., Cavior, N., & Burke, J. (1974). Anonymous feedback: Credibility and desirability of structured emotional and behavioral feedback delivered in groups. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 21(2), 106-111.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0036194
Studied the credibility of personal information selected by members of small groups to describe each other's characteristics and delivered to the members by the group leader without naming the source. 48 undergraduates engaged in consensus and self-disclosure exercises and then selected feedback from lists of positive or negative and behavioral (referring to the behaviors of the recipient) or emotional (referring to feelings of the deliverer about the recipient) descriptions. Positive feedback was rated by recipients as more credible, desirable, and as having more impact than negative feedback. Group cohesion was higher after the delivery of positive emotional feedback than negative. Those receiving behavioral feedback reported the most gain from the experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)