Exposure to Mastery and Perceived Self-Efficacy

We hypothesize and test that observing masterful performances of experts at difficult activities increases one’s perceptions of self-efficacy at those same activities. The exertion of control apparent in the masterful performance is vicariously experienced by the observers, and raises their expectations on their own ability to perform the same activity. The effect is moderated by the similarity between the observer and the performer. These results provide useful insight on the conditions under which exposure to expert performance may enhance or not the intentions to perform a certain activity or purchase products that require a high level of skills and practice.