title: An examination of the dynamic relationship between self-efficacy and performance across levels of analysis and levels of specificity.
abstract: This research used resource allocation theory to generate predictions regarding dynamic relationships between self-efficacy and task performance from 2 levels of analysis and specificity. Participants were given multiple trials of practice on an air traffic control task. Measures of task-specific self-efficacy and performance were taken at repeated intervals. The authors used multilevel analysis to demonstrate differential and dynamic effects. As predicted, task-specific self-efficacy was negatively associated with task performance at the within-person level. On the other hand, average levels of task-specific self-efficacy were positively related to performance at the between-persons level and mediated the effect of general self-efficacy. The key findings from this research relate to dynamic effects--these results show that self-efficacy effects can change over time, but it depends on the level of analysis and specificity at which self-efficacy is conceptualized. These novel findings emphasize the importance of conceptualizing self-efficacy within a multilevel and multispecificity framework and make a significant contribution to understanding the way this construct relates to task performance.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. g.yeo@psy.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Gillian B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013997:Time Factors