Psychologists have long been interested in the factors that influence behavior. With the rise of information processing theories, there has been an increasing emphasis on the role of thinking as an important factor in behavior. Bandura's social and cognitive theory of behavior is the most popular of the recent social learning theories. According to this model, the most important of the cognitive constructs mediating behavior is one's self efficacy belief. While Bandura's ideas are appealing and promising, a number of conceptual and methodological problems have been raised. / The present study investigated a self efficacy based model of mathematical performance, math self efficacy, and outcome expectations. College females took a series of mathematical word problem tests. In each test the subjects choose the level of problem level difficulty on which to be tested and how much effort to expand. A path analysis procedure was used to test the expected relationships. / Two past experience measures, previous college math courses and CLAST test scores, were found to be related to general math self efficacy. General math efficacy predicted situational math efficacy which accounted for the majority of variance in task level choice. In the second trial, situational efficacy again accounted for task choice while outcome expectations explained task persistence. In the final trial, past experience was the major contributor to performance. / The theoretical contentions of Bandura were only in part supported. Self efficacy was, at the beginning of the task, the major contributor to task level choice. Following two trials, self efficacy was only indirectly related, with past experience being the major factor in performance. A three stage process of transformation, replication, and behavior pattern was proposed to explain the results. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, Section: B, page: 0909. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76082 |
| Contributors | SEXTON, THOMAS LEE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 275 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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