Abstract
To examine whether manipulating self-efficacy affects strength performance on a bench press, and to see if these situation-specific changes would affect levels of physical self-efficacy, 24 undergraduates untrained in weightlifting were randomly assigned to three groups: ‘light’, who lifted less weight than they believed; ‘heavy’, who lifted more weight than they believed; and control, for whom there was no manipulation. Self-efficacy measures were taken before and after the manipulation. Physical self-efficacy was measured using the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSE). ‘Light’ subjects lifted significantly greater increases in weight than the other subjects. ‘Heavy’ subjects significantly decreased self-efficacy following the manipulation. Initial self-efficacy was found to be a significant predictor of baseline maximum, while manipulated self-efficacy was significant for performance change. The PSE scores did not change pre-to post-study. The results suggest that self-efficacy is a situation-specific construct which can be manipulated, and which relates to both past performance experience and future performance.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 167-175 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Sports Sciences |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1993 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation