EFFECTS OF SELF‐EFFICACY AND POST‐TRAINING INTERVENTION ON THE ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE OF COMPLEX INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

TLDR

The study examined how self‑efficacy and a two‑stage training process affect acquisition and retention of complex interpersonal skills. Participants first received basic negotiation training with performance measured, then were assigned to goal‑setting or self‑management interventions, and performance was reassessed six weeks later. Higher pre‑test self‑efficacy predicted better initial and delayed performance, and its effect on retention varied by post‑training method—self‑management reduced the self‑efficacy advantage while goal‑setting amplified performance differences between high and low self‑efficacy trainees.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of self‐efficacy and a two‐stage training process on the acquisition and maintenance (i.e., retention) of complex interpersonal skills. In stage one, all participants received basic training in negotiation skills; behavioral measures of negotiation performance were taken following this training. During stage two, alternative post‐training interventions (goal setting and self‐management) were offered to facilitate skill maintenance. Six weeks later, behavioral measures of performance were repeated. Results indicated that pre‐test self‐efficacy contributed positively to both initial and delayed performance. While training condition contributed to skill maintenance, self‐efficacy also interacted with post‐training method to influence delayed performance. Specifically, self‐management training attenuated the self‐efficacy performance relationship, while goal‐setting training accentuated performance differences between high and low self‐efficacy trainees. Implications of these findings are discussed for researchers and practitioners concerned with interpersonal skills training.