Self-efficacy and cognitive performance in high-functioning older individuals: MacArthur studies of successful aging

The hypothesis that stronger self-efficacy beliefs are associated with better cognitive performance at older ages was examined in a sample of men and women, age 70-79. Multiple domains of efficacy beliefs and cognitive abilities were examined. Analyses revealed considerable specificity in the observed associations. For men, multiple regression analyses revealed that instrumental efficacy beliefs were related to better performance on tests of memory and abstraction, independent of sociodemographic characteristics and physical and psychological health; there were no independent associations with individual tests of spatial ability naming, incidental recall, or delayed spatial recognition. For women, instrumental efficacy beliefs had no significant associations with the tests of cognitive ability. Interpersonal efficacy beliefs showed no significant associations for men or women. Possible reasons for these gender differences as well as the specificity of the instrumental efficacy associations are discussed.