Recent research on program effectiveness has emphasized a global perspective of training that includes consideration of individual variables in the design of the system (Tannenbaum & Yukl, 1992). The present study investigated the influence of trainee characteristics, specifically, trainee self-efficacy, causal attributions, and metacognition on acquisition and transfer of complex decision-making behavior. In order to investigate the self-regulatory mechanisms presumed to govern complex decision-making behavior, various methods of training (metacognitive instruction, metacognitive instruction supplemented with attributional training, and no instruction) were provided to 131 undergraduate psychology students as they solved a computer simulation task. The present research proposed that trainee self-efficacy perceptions would be positively related to task performance, and that, in general, individuals receiving the metacognitive instruction would exhibit more metacognitive activity and increased task performance that individuals who did not receive instruction. Further, the present study proposed that individuals who were lower in self-efficacy perceptions would demonstrate greater increases in self-efficacy and task-related behavior after receiving metacognitive skill instruction supplemented with attributional training than the low self-efficacious individuals who received metacognitive skill instruction alone or no metacognitive skill instruction. The present research also purported that individuals who were higher in self-efficacy perceptions would demonstrate greater increases in self-efficacy and task-related behavior after receiving metacognitive skill instruction, either supplemented with attributional training or alone, than those who received no metacognitive skill instruction. Results indicated that, as predicted, trainee self-efficacy perceptions were significantly related to task performance and that metacognitive instruction significantly increased the metacognitive activity and task-related behaviors of the trainees. However, the hypothesized moderated relationship between pre-training self-efficacy and metacognitive instruction was not supported. Findings are discussed in terms of the implications for practice and future research / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_27444 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Contributors | Sarpy, Sue Ann Corell (Author), Brief, Arthur P (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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