Social contexts can affect how people respond to feedback from others. We investigated how context information modulates the cognitive processing of feedback messages (i.e., external evaluations of one's character). We manipulated two aspects of (positive and negative) feedback messages: The identity of the sender (ingroup vs. outgroup member), and the dimension (one's competence vs. morality) as focal concern addressed in the feedback. We measured affective and behavioral responses after participants received such feedback (Study 1, N = 194), and additionally recorded an EEG in Study 2 (N = 49). In both studies, participants reported being more emotionally affected by negative feedback from ingroup compared to outgroup senders. Participants in Study 1 also reported to perceive feedback on their morality (vs. competence) as more negative. Complementing these findings, ERP results of Study 2 revealed greater preferential processing (i.e., increased P200) of feedback messages delivered by ingroup rather than outgroup members. Additionally, participants paid less sustained attention to feedback on their morality (vs. competence, as indicated by decreased P300- and LPP-amplitudes), and afterward recalled less morality- (vs. competence-) related feedback messages. The ERP findings were more pronounced for negative compared to positive feedback. These results suggest that subtle cues such as the social group-membership of a sender or the dimension addressed in a feedback message can modulate the cognitive processing of that message. Furthermore, our findings may explain why people are inclined to disregard negative feedback from outgroup senders and on their moral character.

社会背景会影响人们对他人反馈的反应。我们研究了上下文信息如何调节反馈信息的认知处理（即对一个人性格的外部评价）。我们操纵了（正面和负面）反馈信息的两个方面：发送者的身份（内群体与外群体成员），以及作为反馈中关注的焦点的维度（一个人的能力与道德）。我们在参与者收到此类反馈后测量了情感和行为反应（研究 1，N  = 194），并在研究 2 中额外记录了脑电图（N = 49)。在这两项研究中，参与者都报告说，与外群发件人相比，来自内群的负面反馈对参与者的情绪影响更大。研究 1 的参与者还报告说，他们认为对其道德（与能力）的反馈更为负面。作为对这些发现的补充，研究 2 的 ERP 结果显示，内群体而不是外群体成员传递的反馈信息更优先处理（即增加的 P200）。此外，参与者对他们的道德（与能力相比，如 P300 和 LPP 幅度降低所表明的那样）的反馈的持续关注较少，随后回忆起较少与道德（与能力）相关的反馈信息。与正反馈相比，负反馈的 ERP 发现更为明显。这些结果表明，诸如发送者的社会群体成员身份或反馈信息中涉及的维度等微妙线索可以调节该信息的认知处理。此外，我们的研究结果可以解释为什么人们倾向于忽视来自外群发件人的负面反馈及其道德品质。