Effects of Feedback on Self-Efficacy Expectations based on the Athlete’s Optimistic Profile

Effects of Feedback on Self-Efficacy Expectations based on the Athlete’s Optimistic Profile

Ricardo de la Vega1, Roberto Ruiz1, Francisco Batista2, Francisco Ortín3, Carlos Giesenow4

1Autonomus University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

2Sport & Exercise Psychology (UAM-COE), Madrid, Spain

3University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

4National University of Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Email: [e-mail]

Psychology 2012. Vol.3, No.12A, 1208-1214 published Online December 2012 in SciRes (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/psych)

Received September 28th, 2012; revised October 22nd, 2012; accepted November 22nd, 2012

In recent years, the study of optimism and its possible influence on athletic performance has increased considerably. The key purposes of this study can be summarized as: 1) analyze how self-efficacy expecta- tions vary depending on the level of optimism an individual has; 2) ascertain how progressively receiving negative feedback affects performance expectations; and 3) evaluate whether there are differences in per- formance depending on the presence or absence of feedback. In order to achieve this, 53 Spanish football players were assessed using the Revised Life Orientation Test and an objective test of strength using hand dynamometry. The level of feedback provided was manipulated to study its influence on perceived self- efficacy in the applied strength task. The results show no significant difference between the three levels of optimism/pessimism respecting self-efficacy. Significant differences do appear when the effects of the individual feedback provided for each experimental group is analyzed. The findings are discussed and future research is proposed based on the results obtained.