Shifts in Adaptation: The Effects of Self-Efficacy and Task Difficulty Perception
Click name to view affiliation
Search for other papers by Ryan Sides in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Graig Chow in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Gershon Tenenbaum in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The purpose of this study was to explore adaptation through the manipulation of perceived task difficulty and self-efficacy to challenge the concepts postulated by the two-perception probabilistic concept of the adaptation phenomenon (TPPCA) conceptual framework. Twenty-four randomized performers completed a handgrip and putting task, at three difficulty levels, to assess their self-efficacy and perceived task difficulty interactions on motivations, affect, and performances. The TPPCA was partially confirmed in both tasks. Specifically, as the task difficulty level increased, arousal increased, pleasantness decreased, and the performance declined. There was no solid support that motivational adaptations were congruent with the TPPCA. The findings pertaining to the human adaptation state represent a first step in encouraging future inquiries in this domain. The findings clarify the notion of perceived task difficulty and self-efficacy discrepancy, which then provokes cognitive appraisals and emotional resources to produce an adaptation response.
The authors are with Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
© 2023 Human Kinetics