If at First You Don't Succeed: Effects of Failure on General and Task-Specific Self-Efficacy and Performance

This study explored the impact that failing a specific cognitive task had on self-efficacy and future task performance. Participants were 60 university students (15 men, 45 women) ranging in age from 18 to 45. Failure was induced in the experimental group by requiring participants to attempt unsolvable anagrams. Participants completed anagrams both before and after the experimental manipulation, and changes in self-efficacy were measured pre and post manipulation by a general and task-specific self-efficacy scale. Results indicated that the occurrence of failure significantly decreased participants' task-specific self-efficacy and their subsequent task performance, relative to the control group. General self-efficacy was not affected by the failure manipulation. Theoretical implications for self-efficacy research and practical implications for overcoming the effects of failure are discussed. Buddha is believed to have said, "He is able who thinks he is able." This simple proverb reflects the power of belief in an individual's ability to affect the course of one's life. The idea that cognitions can control the pursuit and successful completion of goals and tasks is embodied in Bandura's social cognitive theory and is labeled as self-efficacy. Bandura (1977) defined self-efficacy as judgments of one's own capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to a desired performance criterion. Efficacy expectations influence the amount of effort people will expend and how long they will persist in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences (e.g., failure). Failure and rejection may be more often the rule than the exception in the process of obtaining challenging goals. Bandura (1989) noted that a resilient sense of efficacy is helpful when overcoming the multiple impediments encountered by individuals prior to achieving success. When facing the possibility of failure, the situation can be improved if one believes he or she has the ability to complete the task (i.e., strong sense of self-efficacy). Bandura (1989) states that those with a high sense of efficacy will view themselves successfully executing a task, which will provide positive guides for performance; those with low efficacy view themselves failing on a task and focus on events going astray. In this instance the thought of failure can be seen as a negative consequence resulting from a low sense of efficacy, but what happens to an individual's sense of efficacy when failure is actually experienced? This study examined how failure can affect competence. The self-perception of competence is critical because it has significant implications for future beliefs and performance. Self-Efficacy and Task Performance Efficacy expectations all share certain origins. Bandura (1977) explained that one's self-efficacy is based on four principal sources of information: performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states/emotional arousal. Performance is the most dependable and influential of the four sources of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). Past performance accomplishments have been shown to affect self-efficacy and future performance in a variety of different settings (e.g., workplace, sports, and the classroom). For example, in the workplace, a meta-analysis of 114 studies showed a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and work-related performance (Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998). Across these studies, workers' positive self-efficacy was shown to increase the level of performance by 28%. Another meta-analytic review of 45 studies on sports showed a significant positive correlation between self-efficacy measures and performance (Mortiz, Feltz, Fahrbach, & Mack, 2000). In the classroom, a high sense of efficacy has been found to result in better adjustment and performance in college (Zimmerman, 1995) and increased exam performance (Zohar, 1998). Overall, there appears to be a moderate positive relationship between self-efficacy and task performance. …