Development and Validation of the State Regulatory Focus Scale

Abstract

Promotion- and prevention-focused regulation influence a variety of workplace behaviors, including innovation and safety performance. Although regulatory foci are theorized to vary both between- and within-individuals, little within-person research has been conducted. One reason for this gap is the lack of a well-validated state regulatory focus scale. Thus, across four studies (total N = 1,300), we develop and validate the State Regulatory Focus Scale (SRFS). We find that the scale scores are reliable, exhibit measurement invariance, and demonstrate convergent, divergent, and predictive validity. In addition, the SRFS detects changes in state regulatory foci in response to a regulatory focus induction. Overall, within-person regulatory foci relationships matched meta-analytic estimates, although were weaker compared to the between-person level relationships. We conclude with recommendations for future research.