N O R T HW E S TE RN U N IV ER S IT Y , I N C

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

The Bobo Doll Experiment:
Sample children were presented with new social
models of violent and nonviolent behavior toward an
inflatable redounding Bobo doll.
Result were: The group of children who saw the
violent behavior model became violent to the doll, while
the control group who was presented with the
nonviolent behavior model was rarely violent to the doll.
- This experiment has proven right the hypothesis that social modeling is a very effective way
of learning.
- Bandura’s social cognitive theory states that people are active participants in their
environment and are not simply shaped by that environment.
Summary of Self-efficacy Theory:
- Distinguishes between expectations of efficacy and response-outcome expectancies:
- Outcome expectancy is “a person’s estimate that a given behavior will lead
to certain outcomes.”
- Efficacy expectation is “the conviction that one can successfully execute the
behavior required to produce the outcomes.”
- Outcome and efficacy expectations are differentiated because individuals can believe that a
particular course of action will produce certain outcomes.
- Self-efficacy typically comes into play when there is an actual or perceived threat to one’s
personal safety, or one’s ability to deal with potentially aversive events.
- Dr. Bandura defined self-efficacy as “people’s beliefs about their capabilities to produce
designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives.”
- He identified acts of people with “high assurance in their capabilities,” such as:
- Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;
- Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
- Heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
- Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are
acquirable; and
- Approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control over them.
- In contrast, people “who doubt their capabilities”:
- shy away from tasks they view as personal threats;
- have low aspirations and weak commitment to goals they choose to pursue;
- dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse
outcomes, rather than concentrating on how to perform successfully;
- slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties;
- are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or setbacks; and
- fall easy victim to stress and depression.

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 N O R T HW E S TE RN U N IV ER S IT Y , I N C
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

- Dr. Bandura described four main sources of influence by which a person’s self-efficacy is
developed and maintained. These are:
- performance accomplishments or mastery experiences;
- vicarious experiences;
- verbal or social persuasion; and
- physiological (somatic and emotional) states.

Carol S. Dweck’s Fixed and Growth Mindset Theory

- Dr. Dweck described people with two types of mindset:
People who believe that success is based on their innate abilities have a “fixed” theory
of intelligence, and goes under fixed mindset.
People who believe that success is based on hardwork, learning, training, and
perseverance have growth theory of intelligence, which goes under growth mindset.
- Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their basic
abilities;
- Growth-mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much because they realize their
performance can be improved and learning comes from failure.
- Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset, but their mindset can still
be discerned based on their behavior.

Edwin A. Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

- The basic contents of goal setting theory are summarized in terms of 14 categories of
findings:
1. The more difficult the goal, the greater the achievement.
2. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance is regulated.
3. Goals that are both specific and difficult lead to the highest performance.
4. Commitment to goals is most critical when goals are specific and difficult.
5. High commitment to goals is attained when:
a. the individual is convinced that the goal is important; and
b. the individual is convinced that the goal is attainable (or that, at least, progress can be
made toward it).
- There are many ways to convince a person that a goal is important:
• In most laboratory settings, it is quite sufficient to simply ask for compliance after
providing a plausible rationale for the study.
• In work situations, the supervisor or leader can use legitimate authority to get initial
commitment.
• Continued commitment might require additional incentives such as supportiveness,
recognition, and rewards.

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 N O R T HW E S TE RN U N IV ER S IT Y , I N C
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Financial incentives may facilitate commitment and performance; participation by

subordinates in setting goals leads to higher commitment than curtly telling people what to
do with no explanation; self-set goals can be highly effective in gaining commitment.
- Commitment can be enhanced by effective leadership. Relevant leadership techniques
include:
• providing and communicating an inspiring vision;
• acting as role model for the employees;
• expecting outstanding performance;
• promoting employees who embrace the vision and dismissing those who reject it;
• delegating responsibility (“ownership”) for key tasks;
• goal setting itself can be delegated for capable, responsible employees;
• expressing (genuine) confidence in employee capabilities;
• enhancing capabilities through training; and
• asking for commitment in public.
6. In addition to having a direct effect on performance, self-efficacy influences:
a. the difficulty level of the goal chosen or accepted;
b. commitment to goals;
c. the response to negative feedback or failure; and
d. the choice of task strategies.
7. Goal setting is most effective when there is feedback that shows progress in relation to the
goal.
8. Goal setting (along with self-efficacy) mediates the effect of knowledge of past performance
on subsequent performance.
9. Goals affect performance by affecting the direction of action, the degree of effort exerted,
and the persistence of action over time.
10. Goals stimulate planning in general. Often, the planning quality is higher than that which
occurs without goals. When people possess task or goal-relevant plans as a result of
experience or training, they activate them automatically when confronted with a
performance goal. Newly learned plans or strategies are most likely to be utilized under the
stimulus of a specific, difficult goal.
11. When people strive for goals on complex tasks, they are least effective in discovering
suitable task strategies if:
1. they have no prior experience or training on the task;
2. there is high pressure to perform well; and
3. there is high time pressure (to perform well immediately).
12. Goals (including goal commitment), in combination with self-efficacy, mediate or partially
mediate the effects of several personality traits and incentives on performance.
13. Goal-setting and goal-related mechanisms can be trained and/or adopted in the absence of
training for the purpose of self-regulation.
14. Goals serve as standards of self-satisfaction, with harder goals demanding higher
accomplishment in order to attain self-satisfaction than easy goals. Goals can also be used
to enhance task interest, reduce boredom, and promote goal clarity. When used to punish or
intimidate people, however, goals increase stress and anxiety.

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 N O R T HW E S TE RN U N IV ER S IT Y , I N C
Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

Activity
JACK CANFIELD QUOTE HUNT.
Using Canfield’s quote on success,
“By taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you have achieved – and
perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses - you actually can enhance
everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and appreciation are what give you the insights
and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments”

Identify the elements of Bandura, Dweck, and Locke’s Theories. Give explanation to your
answer.

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