Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change

It has been argued that behavioral procedures are most powerful means of producing cognitive change.

“It has been argued that behavioral procedures are the most powerful means of producing cognitive change (Bandura, 1977).”

According to Bandura (1977), people's belief about their ability to complete a task can affect their amount of efforts and extent of involvement in the endeavor.

“According to Bandura (1977), people's belief about their ability to complete a task can affect their amount of efforts and extent of involvement in the endeavor.”

University students' MMSE on the PLE may account for their simultaneous engagement in multiple media forms based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory.

“University students' MMSE on the PLE may account for their simultaneous engagement in multiple media forms based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977).”

Bandura's self-efficacy theory holds that self-efficacy influences people's motivation and choice to engage in an activity.

“Therefore, our finding was in accordance with Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory that self-efficacy influences people's motivation and choice to engage in an activity.”

Components of the technology-based SEPP allowed parents to obtain self-efficacy through mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion, consistent with Bandura's self-efficacy theory.

“Adhering to Bandura’s self-efficacy theory [12], components of this technology-based SEPP allowed parents to obtain self-efficacy through mastery experiences (via telephone-based educational sessions and mobile phone app content information), vicarious experiences (via learning from other parents on the forum), and verbal persuasion (via constructive feedback and encouragement from the midwife).”

Childcare experience increases maternal PSE regardless of the intervention received, and the SEPP is only effective in helping parents gain PSE in a shorter time.

“Along with our results, this supports Bandura’s theory [12] that childcare experience increases maternal PSE regardless of the intervention received and that the SEPP is only effective in helping parents gain PSE in a shorter time.”

GenAI functions as a learning mediator by providing cognitive support, interactive feedback, and metacognitive prompts.

“Within this framework, GenAI functions as a learning mediator by providing cognitive support, interactive feedback, and metacognitive prompts [42].”

As users engage with a broader range of platforms, their sense of self-efficacy becomes increasingly differentiated, reflecting accumulated experience with diverse media environments and audience feedback mechanisms.

“As users engage with a broader range of platforms, their sense of self-efficacy becomes increasingly differentiated, reflecting accumulated experience with diverse media environments and audience feedback mechanisms (Bandura, 1977; Abdallah et al., 2024).”

According to Social Cognitive Theory, self-efficacy beliefs play a central role in shaping motivation, influencing choices, effort, and persistence.

“According to SCT (Bandura, 1977), self-efficacy beliefs play a central role in shaping motivation, influencing the choices individuals make, the effort they invest, and their persistence in the face of challenges.”

According to Bandura, self-efficacy refers to one's feeling of effectiveness in accomplishing required tasks and activities.

“According to Bandura, self-efficacy refers to one’s feeling of effectiveness in accomplishing required tasks and activities [12].”

Self-efficacy can be developed through the mastery of experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and affective and physiological factors.

“Self-efficacy can be developed through the mastery of experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and affective and physiological factors [12].”

Through psychoeducation and attachment-based approaches, the program promotes sensitive maternal responses and reinforces self-efficacy.

“Through psychoeducation and attachment-based approaches, the program promotes sensitive maternal responses and reinforces self-efficacy [49].”

Fortalecer a auto-eficácia de resistir ao uso de álcool diminui a probabilidade de recaídas.

“Por outro lado, fortalecer a auto-eficácia de resistir ao uso de álcool diminui a probabilidade de recaídas.”

O conceito de auto-eficácia propõe que as pessoas tendem a repetir certos comportamentos quando acreditam em sua capacidade pessoal de desempenhar corretamente esses comportamentos.

“O conceito de auto-eficácia 11,12 propõe que as pessoas tendem a repetir certos comportamentos quando acreditam em sua capacidade pessoal de desempenhar corretamente esses comportamentos.”

Self-efficacy is a well-documented predictor of behavior.

“Self-efficacy is a well-documented predictor of behavior (Bandura, 1977).”

According to Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, self-efficacy can be developed through experiences of mastery, modeling, verbal persuasion, and physiological states.

“According to Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, self-efficacy can be developed through experiences of mastery, modeling, verbal persuasion, and physiological states (Bandura, 1977).”

Verbal persuasion may still have a place in entrepreneurship education.

“The contribution of passive activities to the development of entrepreneurial mindset efficacy in the students demonstrates that though verbal persuasion has been classically viewed as more limited in its efficacy (Bandura, 1977), it may still have its place in entrepreneurship education.”

It has been shown for other domains of cognition, including visual discrimination performance, that a prior belief of mastery enhances actual performance.

“Notably, while this type of metacognitive mechanism remains to be established for interoception and allostasis, it has been shown for other domains of cognition, including low-level processes such as visual discrimination performance (Zacharopoulos et al., 2014), that a prior belief of mastery enhances the actual performance (for reviews, see Bandura, 1977, 1989).”

Subjective beliefs of low self-efficacy can generalize beyond the specific situation and might result in a domain-unspecific vulnerability.

“This draws on previous empirical findings that subjective beliefs of low self-efficacy can generalize beyond the specific situation (Bandura, 1977; Burke et al., 2015) and might result in a domain-unspecific vulnerability”

Bandura's social theory of self-efficacy was used to understand the impact of youth-led research, evaluation and knowledge application in adolescent health issues.

“Bandura's social theory of self‐efficacy 74 , 75 was used to understand the impact of youth‐led research, evaluation and knowledge application in adolescent health issues.”

SCCT positions self-efficacy and outcome expectancies as drivers of personal career choice actions.

“SCCT is an outgrowth of Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977) and positions its elements of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies as drivers of personal career choice actions.”

Bandura's social-cognitive theory and concept of self-efficacy-used to show how bilingual teaching self-efficacy can determine lesson differentiation-is combined in this study with Pang's caring-centered multicultural education framework.

“Therefore, Bandura's (1977) social-cognitive theory and concept of self-efficacy-used to show how bilingual teaching self-efficacy can determine lesson differentiation-is combined in this study with Pang's (2005) caring-centered multicultural education framework.”

Conceptual understanding of self-efficacy coupled with social-cognitive theory is intertwined with the development of caring and learning about students.

“The conceptual understanding of self-efficacy coupled with social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977) is intertwined with the development of caring and learning about students (Pang, 2018).”

Social-cognitive theory proposed by Bandura (1977) identifies self-efficacy and outcome expectancies as significant contributions to understanding substance use and coping with addiction.

“One of the best researched theories that has influence practice of CBT is the social-cognitive theory proposed by Bandura (1977). The construct of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies or beliefs associated with the consumption of substances and coping with addiction are the most significant contributions of this theoretical model8.”

Students' mathematics self-efficacy may also be enhanced through verbal persuasion in the form of motivational and instructional feedback.

“Students' mathematics self-efficacy may also be enhanced through verbal persuasion in the form of motivational and instructional feedback (Bandura, 1977).”

Successful goal pursuit typically leads to a greater sense of achievement and increased motivation to engage in goal-consistent behaviors, whereas goal failure precipitates discouragement and demotivation.

“Second, they completed several measures capturing additional indicators of goal progress drawn from prior literature showing that successful goal pursuit typically leads to a greater sense of achievement and increased motivation to engage in goal-consistent behaviors (Bandura 1977; Hollenbeck et al. 1989; Scott and Nowlis 2013), whereas goal failure precipitates discouragement and demotivation (B”

Metacognitive monitoring provides the necessary feedback for informing self-efficacy beliefs.

“Metacognitive monitoring provides the necessary feedback for informing self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura, 1977).”

Self-efficacy strongly influences student learning and achievement.

“Self-efficacy, defined as a context-specific evaluation of one's belief in their ability to execute behaviors needed to produce desired outcomes, strongly influences student learning and achievement (Bandura, 1977).”

Self-efficacy is developed through four sources: mastery experiences of success, social modeling of competencies, verbal persuasions of capability, and inferences from physiological states.

“Self-efficacy is developed through four sources: mastery experiences of success, social modeling of competencies, verbal persuasions of capability, and inferences from physiological states signaling competence or anxiety (Bandura, 1977).”

The present view of perceived behavioral control is most compatible with Bandura's concept of perceived self-efficacy.

“The present view of perceived behavioral control, however, is most compatible with Bandura's (1977Bandura's ( , 1982) ) concept of perceived self-efficacy”

Self-efficacy measures should not be interpreted as direct proxies for objective preparedness or knowledge levels, but rather as indicators of individuals' perceived capability to respond within a specific hazard context.

“Self-efficacy measures should not be interpreted as direct proxies for objective preparedness or knowledge levels, but rather as indicators of individuals' perceived capability to respond within a specific hazard context [29].”

This may engender the meta-cognitive evaluation that the brain's model of the world is inadequate to deal with its complexity, leading to estimates of low self-efficacy and a pervasive feeling of vulnerability.

“This may engender to the meta-cognitive evaluation that the brain’s model of the world is inadequate to deal with its complexity, leading to estimates of low self-efficacy (88) and a pervasive feeling of vulnerability (Stephan et al., In preparation1).”

Examples of specific theories used included Social Cognitive Theory to design a computer-delivered intervention to enhance use of practice guidelines in general practices, and theories of risk perception to improve physical activity in cardiovascular patients as part of Intervention Mapping.

“Examples included using Social Cognitive Theory [33] to design a computer-delivered intervention to enhance the use of practice guidelines in general practices [31], and using theories of risk perception to improve physical activity in cardiovascular patients as part of the Intervention Mapping process [26].”

Skills are more likely to be retained and improve future practice if trainees feel challenged, receive positive feedback and find the learning process interesting and enjoyable.

“Skills are more likely to be retained and improve future practice if trainees feel challenged, receive positive feedback and find the learning process interesting and enjoyable.93,94”

Heightened expectations result from performance accomplishments, but expectations have also been experimentally and prospectively linked to motor performance.

“Heightened expectations result from performance accomplishments (Bandura, 1977), but expectations have also been experimentally and prospectively linked to motor performance (Feltz, Chow, & Hepler, 2008;Hutchinson et al., 2008;Moritz et al., 2000;Neiss, 1989;Wulf et al., 2012).”

Bandura (1977) describes four major sources of information that can increase expectations of personal efficacy, with performance accomplishments strongest, followed by vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states.

“The CAMIL builds on the work from Bandura (1977), who describes four major sources of information that can increase expectations of personal efficacy.The strongest is performance accomplishments, followed by vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states.”