Effects of feedback on self-efficacy, performance, and choice in an athletic task

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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of feedback on self-efficacy, performance, and task choice, and the mediating effects of self-efficacy in the feedback-performance and task choice relationships. Participants were 69 Spanish students, 46 males and 23 females, between 18 and 24 years. The experimental paradigm consisted of three sessions. In the first, participants performed on the hurdles. In the second, manipulated feedback referring to the previous performance was provided. Participants then estimated their self-efficacy for a second task which they later performed. In the third session, participants were presented with three tasks involving clearing hurdles of progressive difficulty. They were then asked to elect and perform whichever task they felt capable of completing. Three different models were advanced for the relationships between feedback, self-efficacy, performance, and task choice. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed a model where performance feedback was significantly related to self-efficacy, performance, and task choice; and self-efficacy to performance and task choice. Although the results did not provide insight into the level to which feedback and self-efficacy affect performance and task choice, they did appear to confirm the view that self-efficacy is a cognitive variable that mediates the relationship between feedback and performance and task choice.