The Interaction of Neuroticism and Gender and Its Impact on Self-Efficacy and Performance

Self-efficacy has been linked to performance in many areas of human endeavor. Examinations of personality correlates of self-efficacy suggest that emotional stability or neuroticism is consistently related to self-efficacy. Other findings suggest a gender difference in emotional stability. In this article, it is proposed that emotional stability and gender interact to affect self-efficacy and that efficacy, in turn, affects performance. The hypothesized interaction and mediation are confirmed using longitudinal data collected from college students. The model and results also provide evidence of one mechanism whereby personality affects performance even in the absence of direct personality–performance relationships.

[1]  P. Gore.  Academic Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of College Outcomes: Two Incremental Validity Studies , 2006 .

[2]  Alexander D. Stajkovic,et al.  Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis. , 1998 .

[3]  A. Bandura.  Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control , 1997, Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.

[4]  S. Spencer,et al.  Stereotype Threat and Women's Math Performance , 1999 .

[5]  Murray R. Barrick,et al.  Conscientiousness and performance of sales representatives: Test of the mediating effects of goal setting. , 1993 .

[6]  D. J. Lee.  Society and the Adolescent Self-Image , 1969 .

[7]  M. Rosenberg.  Society and the adolescent self-image , 1966 .

[8]  T. Maurer,et al.  A comparison of Likert scale and traditional measures of self-efficacy. , 1998 .

[9]  A. Furnham,et al.  Parents’ gender and personality and estimates of their own and their children’s intelligence , 2004 .

[10]  T. Judge,et al.  Relationship of personality to performance motivation: a meta-analytic review. , 2002, The Journal of applied psychology.

[11]  E. A. Locke.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social-Cognitive View , 1987 .

[12]  A. Ryan,et al.  Relating Test-Taking Attitudes and Skills and Stereotype Threat Effects to the Racial Gap in Cognitive Ability Test Performance , 2003 .

[13]  Steven D. Brown,et al.  Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. , 1991 .

[14]  R. Vandenberg,et al.  A Review and Synthesis of the Measurement Invariance Literature: Suggestions, Practices, and Recommendations for Organizational Research , 2000 .

[15]  A. Bandura.  Social cognitive theory of self-regulation☆ , 1991 .

[16]  J W R Twisk,et al.  Memory complaints; the association with psycho-affective and health problems and the role of personality characteristics. A 6-year follow-up study. , 2002, Journal of affective disorders.

[17]  Murray R. Barrick,et al.  THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A META-ANALYSIS , 1991 .

[18]  A. Furnham,et al.  Personality, gender and self-perceived intelligence , 2005 .

[19]  A. Bandura,et al.  Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. , 2003, The Journal of applied psychology.

[20]  Marilyn E. Gist,et al.  EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE TRAINING METHODS ON SELF-EFFICACY AND PERFORMANCE IN COMPUTER SOFTWARE TRAINING , 1989 .

[21]  C. Steele,et al.  Stereotype Threat and Employment Testing: A Commentary , 2003 .

[22]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[23]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency , 2024, Psihologìâ ì suspìlʹstvo.

[24]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[25]  Philip Bobko,et al.  Self-efficacy beliefs: Comparison of five measures. , 1994 .

[26]  Hao Zhao,et al.  The mediating role of self-efficacy in the development of entrepreneurial intentions. , 2005, The Journal of applied psychology.

[27]  L. Wheeler,et al.  Review of personality and social psychology , 1980 .

[28]  L. R. Goldberg.  A broad-bandwidth, public domain, personality inventory measuring the lower-level facets of several five-factor models , 1999 .

[29]  J. Brockner,et al.  Self-esteem and reactance: Further evidence of attitudinal and motivational consequences , 1985 .