Bandura & Self-Efficacy

Question 1

What was the aim of Bandura’s study of self-efficacy?

Answer 1

To assess the self-efficacy of patients engaging in systematic desensitisation for snake phobias.

Question 2

What was the method used in Bandura’s study of self-efficacy?

Answer 2

Controlled quasi-experiment.

Question 3

Describe the participants used by Bandura in their study of self-efficacy.

Answer 3

10 snake phobic patients who replied to a newspaper advertisement. 9 female, 1 male, aged 19-57 years old.

Question 4

Describe the procedure used by Bandura’s study of self-efficacy.

Answer 4

Participants level of fear and perception of how well they could cope with their phobia was measured. They were also given relaxation exercises.

Under controlled conditions, participants first looked at pictures of snakes until their arousal level had fallen. They were then put in the same room with snakes, and eventually could handle them.

Their fear and perception of coping was then measured again.`

Question 5

What were the results of Bandura’s study of self-efficacy?

Answer 5

The second scoring of participant fear levels was lower, and their perception of how well they could cope was also significantly higher.

Question 6

What conclusions did Bandura draw from their study of self-efficacy?

Answer 6

Bandura concluded that desensitisation works. The study showed support for the concept of self-efficacy because the activities conducted led to a change in perception for those with phobias.

This shows that self-efficacy is both a cognitive and behavioural concept. Cognitive because of the change in perception and behavioural due to perception being learned from past experiences (enactive influences).

Also the desensitisation came from associating the snake with nothing happening (classical conditioning).