Dynamics in the self-efficacy–performance relationship following failure

• This study examined the dynamics of self-efficacy in response to induced failure.
• Effects of failure on self-efficacy remained after performance levels recovered.
• Within-person self-efficacy effects were negative in the control condition.
• Negative within-person self-efficacy effects were not found in the failure condition.
• Self-efficacy was positively related to trends in performance following failure.

In the current study, we empirically examined the proposition that failure experiences (a) alter the nature of the relationship between self-efficacy and performance and (b) shape the trajectory of self-efficacy over time. Participants (N = 128 young adult males) were randomly assigned to an induced failure or a control condition where they completed five sessions of a complex computer-based performance task, each preceded by a measure of self-efficacy. Multiple group discontinuous latent growth modeling (MGLGM) and piecewise hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) were used to compare similarities and differences across conditions in the self-efficacy–performance relationship and in the trajectory of self-efficacy over time. The findings showed that self-efficacy decreased immediately following induced failure; an effect that endured in later performance sessions, even after typical performance levels had recovered. Within-person (i.e., intra-individual) self-efficacy was negatively related to performance in the control condition, yet was unrelated to performance in the failure condition. Furthermore, the self-efficacy–performance relationship was dynamic such that between-person (i.e., inter-individual) self-efficacy was positively related to the trajectory of performance following failure, even when controlling for the effects of prior performance and task-related experience. These results suggest that failure experiences can fundamentally alter the form and direction of the self-efficacy–performance relationship.