Self-Efficacy and Mastery: Its Application to Issues of Environmental Control, Cognition, and Aging
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文摘
A selective review of the literature relevant to Bandura′s theory of self-efficacy emphasizes studies where mastery experiences are used with adult populations to promote self-efficacy. This review evaluates and upholds the theory and provides evidence for the need to extend self-efficacy theory to elderly populations: some of the environments of older adults provide experiences that encourage dependence and discourage mastery, thereby reducing opportunities for mastery, thus reducing feelings of personal control and self-efficacy, particularly in the domain of memory. The behavioral consequences of such reduced efficacy are discussed, and a model is proposed to represent some mechanisms of age-related declines in cognitive self-efficacy in later life.