Main and interactive effects of controllability and generalisability attributions upon self-efficacy

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleCopyright © 2008 Elsevier. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 2008, Vol. 9, Issue 6, pp. 775 – 785 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.12.002Objectives: This study examined main effects of controllability and interactive effects of controllability and generalisability attributions upon self-efficacy.Design: A cross-sectional study design was employed with pre-competition self-efficacy assessed at least one week prior to attributions and subsequent self-efficacy.Method: Participants (N = 360; mean age 21.64, SD = 6.96 years) completed measures of pre-competition self-efficacy (1 h prior to competition 1), attributions (1 h after competition 1) and subsequent self-efficacy (at least one week following competition 1 and 1 h prior to competition 2). All measures were completed in reference to sport competitions.Results: Demographic variables and pre-competition self-efficacy were entered as control variables in moderated hierarchical regression analyses. Results demonstrated that individuals who perceived performance as more successful, had higher subsequent self-efficacy when they generalised (Delta R-2 =.34, p<.01) causes of performance across time (stability: b =.44, p<.01), and/or across situations (globality: b =.47, p <.01), and/or perceived causes to be unique to themselves (universality: b = -.45, p<.01). Individuals who perceived performance as less successful, had higher subsequent selfefficacy when they viewed causes of performance as controllable (Delta R-2 =.08, b =.23, p<.01); an interaction (Delta R-2 =.06, p <.05) for controllability and globality (b =.20, p<.01) demonstrated that if causes were perceived to be global, higher levels of controllability were associated with higher levels of subsequent self-efficacy.Conclusion: This study provides evidence, following more Successful performances, that attributions to generalisability (stability, globality and universality) affect self-efficacy; following less successful performances, globality (a generalisability dimension) moderates the effect of con troll ability upon self-efficacy. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved