Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Racial Behaviour in Male Children

Abstract

Bandura proposed a common cognitive mechanism — perceived self-efficacy — to underly behaviour change, regardless of the induction mode used to generate such changes. To assess self-efficacy theory, this research focused on 91 male children's (M age = 9,44 years) racial prejudice and behaviour. These children were assigned randomly to a performance accomplishments, modelling, verbal persuasion or control condition; and behavioural ratings and self-efficacy beliefs assessed prior to the intervention, immediately thereafter, and six weeks after it was terminated. It was found that: (a) verbal persuasion was the only significant determinant of self-efficacy; (b) self-efficacy predicted behaviour in the modelling condition when post-test self-efficacy was correlated with post-test behaviour, but not when pre-test self-efficacy was related to post-test behaviour; (c) self-efficacy mediated the effects of performance accomplishments in terms of social interaction and non-interaction, while the modelling × self-efficacy interaction was significant with regard to social approach behaviour; and (d) no evidence was found for any maintenance of behaviour change six weeks after treatment was terminated. These phenomena are discussed in terms of self-efficacy theory in particular, and social learning theory in general.