Not to dismiss an interesting study, but it only seems to address the emotional response to criticism. When giving or receiving criticism in a work environment, there is likely to be a rational response of equal or even greater importance. At the very least, an employee who receives criticism will perform some sort of rough mental calculation to determine things like:

1. Is the criticism valid?

2. Is it threatening?

These calculations may be influenced, not only by how you deliver the message, but by what information has already been revealed to the employee -- by your behavior, by the corporate history and culture, and by the employee's general knowledge of business trends.