Feedback and the educational alliance: examining credibility judgements and their consequences.

Our findings suggest that credibility is a multifaceted judgement that occurs not only at the moment of the feedback interaction but early in and throughout an educational relationship. It not only affects a learner's engagement with a particular piece of feedback at the moment of delivery, but also has consequences for future engagement with (or avoidance of) further learning interactions with the supervisor. These findings can help medical educators develop a more meaningful understanding of the context in which feedback takes place.