Self-efficacy Judgments Research Articles

The Relationships Among Competitive Orientation, Sport-Confidence, Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, and Performance

We examined the relationships among trait and state psychological variables and performance in male high school distance runners using the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ; Gill & Deeter, 1988), the Competitive Orientation Inventory (COI; Vealey, 1986), the Trait Sport-Confidence Inventory (TSCI; Vealey, 1986), the State Sport-Confidence Inventory (SSCI; Vealey, 1986), the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2; Martens, Burton, Vealey, Bump, & Smith, 1990), and separate self-efficacy scales for performance (time) and outcome (place). As hypothesized, trait sport-confidence predicted state sport-confidence and outcome self-efficacy. However, competitive orientation did not contribute to the prediction of state measures. State sport-confidence and self-efficacy predicted performance, as hypothesized. Surprisingly, outcome self-efficacy was a stronger predictor than performance self-efficacy, which did not contribute to the prediction of performance time or place. The runners' youth and lack of competitive track experience may have prevented them from forming accurate performance self-efficacy judgments. In contrast, the familiar and small competitive field may have allowed these athletes to form accurate outcome self-efficacy judgments.

Goal setting and the differential influence of self-regulatory processes on complex decision-making performance.

The effects of goal setting and cognitive self-regulatory processes were examined on a highly complex task, a managerial decision-making simulation. It was hypothesized that the presence vs. absence of a specific performance goal would moderate the strength of relations between performance and 2 self-regulatory processes: self-efficacy judgments and self-evaluative reactions. Ss received either a moderately or extremely difficult task goal, or no specific goal. Self-regulatory processes were assessed after an initial trial block. Regression analyses revealed that, as predicted, both self-regulatory processes more strongly affected performance when Ss received a specific goal. Contrary to earlier findings obtained with simple activities, dissatisfaction with prior outcomes impaired performance. Ss who were dissatisfied with past attainments exerted much decision effort but adopted inferior task strategies that produced poorer results.

Trying to Consume

An important but relatively neglected area of consumer behavior—the pursuit of goals—is addressed. Two recent modifications of the Fishbein model are discussed, and an extension is introduced to better explain goal pursuit. Major revisions include (1) specification of three dimensions of attitude—toward success, failure, and the process of trying, (2) the incorporation of self-efficacy judgments as expectations of success and failure, and (3) refinement in the specificity of referents and their correspondence to reflect trying as the focal explanatory concept. Recency and frequency of past trying are independent variables in three models tested with weight loss data.

Anchoring biases and the perseverance of self-efficacy beliefs

This research investigated the effects of anchoring biases on judgments of self-efficacy, and the perseverance of initial efficacy judgments as subjects received firsthand performance feedback. Prior to attempting a novel task, subjects judged the level of performance they could achieve in relation to an anchor value representing a low, intermediate, or high outcome. Anchoring strongly affected initial self-efficacy judgments. Subjects then performed the task; success rates were controlled and equivalent in all conditions. On subsequent self-efficacy assessments, the initial anchor-biased differences in perceived self-efficacy were evident despite extensive performance feedback. Initial self-efficacy judgments significantly predicted subsequent level of self-efficacy within the anchoring conditions, but not within a no-anchor control group.

Influence of Self-Efficacy on Performance in a Cognitive Task

Abstract The present study investigated the influence of self-efficacy judgments on cognitive performance when subjects had equivalent knowledge and experience in the performance domain. High or low self-efficacy perceptions were experimentally induced in a sample of 64 Canadian college students. Results showed that differences in perceptions were related to measures of the number of problems completed, the efficiency of problem-solving strategies, and the accuracy of self-evaluation of responses. These results suggest that the perception of self-efficacy is a viable construct for comprehending performance, particularly on academic tasks requiring sustained self-monitoring.

Praise or blame? Affective influences on attributions for achievement.

Three experiments showed that mood influences achievement attributions and that cognitive processes underlie these effects. In Experiment 1, happy Ss made more internal and stable attributions for success than failure in typical 'life dilemmas'. In Experiment 2, attributions for real-life exam performance were more internal and stable in a happy than in a sad mood. Dysphoric moods resulted in self-critical rather than self-enhancing attributions, contrary to motivational theories, but consistent with cognitive models and the clinical literature on depression. In Experiment 3 this pattern was repeated with direct self vs. other comparisons, and for self-efficacy judgements. The results are interpreted as supporting cognitive rather than motivational theories of attribution biases. The implications of the results for clinical research, and contemporary affect-cognition theories are considered.

Effects of envisioning future activities on self-efficacy judgments and motivation: An availability heuristic interpretation

This study examines the effects of envisioning factors that can either facilitate or hinder performance on an upcoming activity. Prior to engaging in a cognitive task, subjects focused on factors that could enhance or impair their performance. They then indicated their perceived self-efficacy on the activity and performed the task. Dwelling on factors that could impair performance diminished judgments of self-efficacy. Group differences in subsequent task persistence paralleled the differences in self-efficacy judgments. Regression analyses provided evidence that judgments of self-efficacy mediated the behavioral effects. Subjects displayed nearly identical levels of performance motivation whether or not they recorded self-efficacy judgments. The results are interpreted in terms of the availability heuristic. Self-efficacy judgments generally may reflect a small set of highly available personal and situational factors; focusing on particular aspects of an activity heightens the availability of these features, biasing efficacy judgments, which, in turn, regulate subsequent behavior.

Sequence Anchoring and Self-Efficacy: Primacy Effects in the Consideration of Possibilities

This research attempts to clarify the relation between self-efficacy and action by influencing self-efficacy judgments without providing subjects with performance-related experiences or information. Sequence anchoring, the methodology introduced to obtain this effect, involves the consideration of an identical range of potential outcomes in different orders. Judgments are shown to be biased in the direction of the first values that are presented, resulting in a primacy effect in the consideration of possibilities. An initial experiment examines this judgmental bias in estimates of factual information. A second experiment demonstrates that this same process can affect individuals' judgments of self-efficacy and subsequent behavior on a cognitive task. A final experiment shows that these behavioral effects do not depend on subjects publicly indicating self-efficacy judgments.

Cognitive efficacy across the life span: Introduction to the special series.

A brief background and the rationale for examining personal beliefs of efficac y and control as related to adulthood cognition and memory are presented in this introduction to the special series. The research presented in the series draws on theory and research from several fields, includin g personality and social psychology, child development, and social learning and cognition. Although particular emphasis is placed on the self-efficacy construct (Bandura, 1977) and its utility in studying cognitive behavior in adults, this introdaction also highlights related work on achievement behavior in children (e.g., Dweck, 1975, 1986; Schunk, 1981, 1982). The series comprises four empirical articles and one conceptual commentary. In the commentary, Bandura argues that self-efficacy judgments are powerful determinants of. yet are also determined by, human cognition, affect, and behavior. It is this theoretical framework that guided the research presented in this scries. The five articles that make up this special series share the general premise that personal beliefs are related integrally to behavior and that this relationship changes with age. More specifically, these articles focus on the nature and function of selfbeliefs of personal efficacy and control as they are related to cognition in adulthood. The model on which these studies are based assumes that self-knowledge of abilities derives from, yet also determines, behavior in a dynamic and mutually reciprocal developmental process. This model is consistent with a contextual approach to cognitive development wherein chronological age per se is no longer regarded as a sufficient explanation for age-related varianc e in cognitive performance. Instead , the roles of task, person, and situational variables have gained recognition as critical components for understanding cognition in adulthood (Arbuckle, Gold, & Andres, 1986; Craik, Byrd, &

Academic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale: Development and Initial Validation

The Academic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale (ASSESS) was developed to assess the self-efficacy judgments of students and to predict academic achievement and sociometric status. Self-reported judgments of academic self-efficacy best predicted academic achievement, whereas self-reported social self-efficacy best predicted sociometric status. Teacher- and parent-reported self-efficacy ratings were minimal predictors of achievement and sociometric status. A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analysis failed to provide evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. These results were interpreted in light of the situational specificity of behavior and cross-informant variability in behavior ratings.

Chi-square analyses of self-efficacy data: A cautionary note

To gauge relations between perceived self-efficacy and behavior, researchers have employed a “microanalytic congruence” measure that assesses the percentage of individual tasks for which self-efficacy judgments and performance are congruent. Lee (1985) has proposed that chi-square analyses should be employed to assess the statistical significance of efficacy-behavior congruences. The present paper demonstrates that such analyses are inappropriate. Chi-square analyses assume that each of the observations being analyzed is independent of each of the other observations. This assumption is violated in self-efficacy data because each individual subject contributes more than one observation to the analysis. Alternative analyses of self-efficacy data are discussed.

Self-efficacy mediates strength gains during circuit weight training in men with coronary artery disease

Motivation to engage in health-promoting exercise has been ascribed to global personality traits such as self-esteem or athletic self-confidence. Self-Efficacy Theory challenges this view by proposing that highly specific estimates of personal capabilities mediate adoption of new or difficult behavior patterns. We tested this assumption by measuring self-efficacy perceptions in 40 men with coronary artery disease who participated in an experiment evaluating effects of circuit weight training (CWT). Specific self-efficacy estimates were assessed during baseline strength/endurance testing and after 10 wk participation in CWT or volleyball. Correlational analyses of self-efficacy in relation to performance on strength/endurance tests strongly supported the contention that adoption of novel activities is governed by highly specific self-perceptions. Participation in CWT produced greater strength and endurance gains than did volleyball, and these changes were accompanied by increased self-efficacy in CWT subjects for activities resembling the training tasks. The assertion that self-efficacy perceptions directly mediate involvement in challenging physical activities was supported by multiple regression analyses. These revealed that pre-training self-efficacy judgments predicted post-test strength gains even after controlling for baseline strength, type of training and frequency of participation in exercise sessions.

Early Research on Self-Efficacy: What we Already Know Without Knowing we Knew

The term “self-efficacy” was introduced by Bandura in 1977. However, expectancy for success in achievement situations, which was investigated extensively prior to 1977, is operationally equivalent to self-efficacy. Studies of expectancy for success reveal that self-efficacy is affected by performance feedback, but that the debilitating effect of failure on self-efficacy is greater than the facilitating effect of success. Experience at a task stabilizes self-efficacy, thereby decreasing the effects of feedback. Self-efficacy is more resistant to extinction following continuous reinforcement than following intermittent reinforcement. Besides perceived ability, self-efficacy ratings are affected by perceived task difficulty and locus of control. Self-efficacy judgments for one task generalize to other tasks, leading to individual differences in generalized self-efficacy. There are conflicting data about the effects of reinforcement value (outcome expectancies) on self-efficacy. Self-efficacy ratings predict persistence at a task, future performance levels, choice of contingent over noncontingent rewards, and alcohol use and abuse. Low self-efficacy elicits fear only to the extent that it is associated with aversive outcomes.

Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behavior.

Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behavior.

Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behavior.

Anchoring, efficacy, and action: The influence of judgmental heuristics on self-efficacy judgments and behavior.

Objective vs subjective assessment of relaxation compliance among anxious individuals

Previous relaxation outcome research has lacked means to empirically determine how well Ss comply in home-practice assignments. This study reports on a relaxation assessment device (RAD) used by 21 adults who received 4 weeks of relaxation therapy for generalized anxiety. The RAD consists of a digital wristwatch, with a stopwatch function, surreptitiously placed within Ss' tape-players to monitor the amount of relaxation practice at home. Comparison of self-reported and RAD-determined practice found that Ss exaggerated their actual practice by an average overestimation of 126%. Only one-fourth of the Ss performed relaxation daily. Anxiety reductions were significantly correlated with RAD-determined but not with self-reported practice. Self-efficacy judgments significantly correlated with relaxation compliance only when percent overestimation in self-reports was controlled. The need for objective compliance measures in relaxation outcome studies was discussed.

Depression, interpersonal standard setting, and judgments of self-efficacy.

Depression, interpersonal standard setting, and judgments of self-efficacy.

Depression, interpersonal standard setting, and judgments of self-efficacy.

Depression, interpersonal standard setting, and judgments of self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy expectancies, outcome expectancies, and the persistence of pain control in childbirth.

Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory of mastery behavior distinguishes self-efficacy expectancies from outcome expectancies. The relative roles of self-efficacy expectancies, outcome expectancies, and importance were studied as predictors of persistence of pain control in medication-free childbirth. Fifty-two primiparous women made self-efficacy judgments before and during labor and then reported in postdelivery interviews the timing and amount of medication use during labor and delivery. Self-efficacy expectancies predicted persistence in pain control without medication better than outcome expectancies, importance, and seven other alternative predictors, supporting several aspects of construct validation of the self-efficacy expectancy construct. However, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies were very highly correlated and largely redundant in their correlations with mastery. Three possible reasons and implications for the lack of differentiation of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies are discussed.

Self-efficacy expectancies, outcome expectancies, and the persistence of pain control in childbirth.

Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory of mastery behavior distinguishes self-efficacy expectancies from outcome expectancies. The relative roles of self-efficacy expectancies, outcome expectancies, and importance were studied as predictors of persistence of pain control in medication-free childbirth. Fifty-two primiparous women made self-efficacy judgments before and during labor and then reported in postdelivery interviews the timing and amount of medication use during labor and delivery. Self-efficacy expectancies predicted persistence in pain control without medication better than outcome expectancies, importance, and seven other alternative predictors, supporting several aspects of construct validation of the self-efficacy expectancy construct. However, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies were very highly correlated and largely redundant in their correlations with mastery. Three possible reasons and implications for the lack of differentiation of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies are discussed.