The Relationships Among Self-Efficacy, Stress Responses, and a Cognitive Feedback Manipulation

The influence of self-efficacy on physiological arousal and self-reported anxiety was examined in the first phase of this study. All 32 undergraduate females in the study performed five trials of both an easy task and a difficult task, with half of them performing the easy task first and half performing the difficult task first. A manipulation check revealed that the easy task clearly elicited higher self-efficacy than the difficult task. Individuals reported lower cognitive and somatic anxiety and higher self-confidence, as assessed with 1he CSAI-2, and had lower heartrate increases when performing the easy (high-efficacious) task. After the subjects finished both the easy and difficult tasks, half of them were given a cognitive feedback manipulation suggesting that elevated arousal levels were typical responses of good competitors under stress. Contrary to predictions, the manipulation did not induce higher self-efficacy and the manipulation group did not differ from the no-manipulation group on self-reported anxiety scores or heart rates. The findings support Bandura's contention that self-efficacy mediates arousal changes and demonstrate the influence of self-efficacy on multidimensional anxiety measures, but fail to demonstrate any influence of a cognitive feedback manipulation on self-efficacy or subsequent stress responses. Article: According to Bandura's (1977) theory of self-efficacy, all behavioral change is mediated by a common cognitive mechanism— self-efficacy—the belief that one can successfully perform desired behaviors. Perceived efficacy mediates behavior in various ways. People approach, explore, and try to deal with situations within their self-perceived capabilities; but they avoid dealing with stressful aspects of their environment perceived as exceeding their abilities (Bandura, 1977; 1982). Several studies show that people with higher self-efficacy persist in difficult tasks longer than do people with lower self-efficacy (Brown & Inouye, 1978; Schunk, 1981; Weinberg, Gould, & Jackson, 1979), and perceived efficacy is also an accurate predictor of performance (Bandura & Adams, 1977; Bandura, Reese, & Adams, 1982). The special interest of the current study is the relationship between self-efficacy and stress responses, including both physiological arousal and self-reported