The Adequacy Of Performance Attainments Depends Upon

Comparative Appraisals Of Efficacy Require Not Only Evaluation Of One;s Own Performances But Also Knowledge Of How Others Do, Cognizance Of Nonability Determinants Of Their Performances, And Some Understanding That It Is Others, Like Oneself, Who Provide The Most Informative Social Criterion For Comparison

Such Knowledge Is Probably Gained In Several Ways. One Process Undoubtedly Operates Through Social Comparison Of Success And Failure Experiences. Children Repeatedly Observe Their Own Behavior And The Attainments Of Others

The Difficulty In Judging What Type Of Behavior Works Well Arises Not Only Because A Given Course Of Action Does Not Always Produce The Outcomes. Similar Outcomes Can Occur For Reasons Other Than The Person's Actions, Which Further Complicates Inferential Judgment. Effects That Arise Independently Of One's Actions Distort The Influence Of Similar Effects Produced By The Actions, But Only On Some Occasions. Given A Strong Cognitive Set To Perceive Regularities, Even Chance Joint Occurrences Of Events Can Be Easily Misjudged As Genuine Relationships Of Low Contingent Probability

Self-efficacy Beliefs Differ From Outcome Expectations, Judgments Of The Likely Consequence [that] Behavior Will Produce.

Once Established, Reputations Do Not Easily Change.