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Medical Education 2012:46:593–603

Objectives  Regulatory focus theory posits the existence of two systems of self‐regulation underlying human motivation: promotion focus, which is concerned with aspirations and accomplishments, and prevention focus, which is concerned with obligations and responsibilities. It has been proposed that regulatory focus theory may help to explain learners’ variable responses to feedback, predicting that positive feedback is motivating under promotion focus, whereas negative feedback is motivating under prevention focus. We aimed to explore this link between regulatory focus theory and response to feedback using data collected in a naturalistic setting.

Methods  In a constructivist grounded theory study, we interviewed 22 early‐career academic doctors about experiences they perceived as influential in their learning. Although feedback emerged as important, responses to …