Learner-Level Psychological Factors Impact Feedback Recipience in Medical Education

Purpose: Gaps exist in the literature concerning psychological factors impacting medical learners’ receptivity to feedback. Learners’ orientation toward feedback and their emotions during feedback are likely to influence their recall of feedback and therefore their ability to act upon it. Better understanding these constructs and relationships could improve feedback processes. Materials and Methods: We conducted a feedback simulation study with a pre-simulation measure of feedback orientation (FO), an in-simulation measure of emotions experienced, and a post-simulation measure of recall. Participants were third- and fourth-year medical students at one US medical school. Results: Twenty-two students participated. FO scores were higher than in prior work in medical education. Emotions during feedback were mixed but mostly positively valenced and mostly activating. Students recalled, on average, 0.77 of 2 specific reinforcing feedback points and 1.0 of 2 constructive points. There were small correlations among the constructs; specifically, positive emotional valence was slightly negatively correlated with recall. Conclusions: FO and emotion during feedback are two factors that may influence learners’ retention of feedback. The results indicate these factors are complex and related, requiring further studies. Additionally, our results call for work to expand on and improve psychological measurement tools when used with medical learners.