ABSTRACT: The present article examines the nature and function of human agency within the conceptual model of triadic reciprocal causation. In analyzing the operation of human agency in this interactional causal structure, social cognitive theory accords a central role to cognitive, vicarious, self-reflective, and self-regulatory processes. The issues addressed concern the psychological mechanisms through which personal agency is exercised, the hierarchical structure of self-regulatory systems, eschewal of the dichotomous construal of self as agent and self as object, and the properties of a nondualistic but nonreductional conception of human agency. The relation of agent causality to the fundamental issues of freedom and determinism is also analyzed. The recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest

The authors address the verification of the functional properties of self-efficacy beliefs and document how self-efficacy beliefs operate in concert with goal systems within a sociocognitive theory of self-regulation in contrast to the focus of control theory on discrepancy reduction. Social cognitive theory posits proactive discrepancy production by adoption of goal challenges working in concert with reactive discrepancy reduction in realizing them. Converging evidence from diverse methodological and analytic strategies verifies that perceived self-efficacy and personal goals enhance motivation and performance attainments. The large body of evidence, as evaluated by 9 meta-analyses for the effect sizes of self-efficacy beliefs and by the vast body of research on goal setting, contradicts findings (J. B. Vancouver, C. M. Thompson, & A. A. Williams, 2001; J. B. Vancouver, C. M. Thompson, E. C. Tischner, & D. J. Putka, 2002) that belief in one’s capabilities and personal goals is self-debilitating. Social cognitive theory is rooted in an agentic perspective in which people function as anticipative, purposive, and selfevaluating proactive regulators of their motivation and actions (Bandura, 2001). A theory embodying feed-forward selfregulation differs from control theories rooted solely in a negative feedback control system aimed at error correction. Among the mechanisms of human agency, none is more central or pervasive than beliefs of personal efficacy. Whatever other factors serve as guides and motivators, they are rooted in the core belief that one has the power to produce desired effects; otherwise one has little incentive to act or to persevere in the face of difficulties. Selfefficacy beliefs regulate human functioning through cognitive, motivational, affective, and decisional processes (Bandura, 1997). They affect whether individuals think in self-enhancing or selfdebilitating ways, how well they motivate themselves and persevere in the face of difficulties, the quality of their emotional well-being and their vulnerability to stress and depression, and the choices they make at important decisional points.

This paper provides a high level overview of a game called ORIENT which aims at cultural and emotional learning by engaging adolescents in a role-play with virtual characters in a virtual world. The paper focuses on defining and explaining the learning objectives, and gives an overview of how we intend to achieve these objectives using narrative concepts, affective characters, and innovative technologies for interaction.

Summary—Research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. The effects appear larger for milder than for more severe forms of aggression, but the effects on severe forms of violence are also substantial ( r �.13 to.32) when compared with effects of other violence risk factors or medical effects deemed important by the medical community (e.g., effect of aspirin on heart attacks). The research base is large; diverse in methods, samples, and media genres; and consistent in overall findings. The evidence is clearest within the most extensively researched domain, television and film violence. The growing body of video-game research yields essentially the same conclusions. Short-term exposure increases the likelihood of physically

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Distance education delivered via broadband networks and sophisticated electronic technologies is one innovation often recommended for helping rural schools and their communities provide students with curricula and educational opportunities necessary for success in a global economy. This case study explored how eight rural Virginia school systems with little prior experience involving these technologies implemented a regional telecommunications network (SVCC-TN, part of Net.Work.Virginia). Over a one year period, 54 administrators, teachers, and students (representing nine schools) joined together in multi-role telecommunications teams to learn how the technology functioned and could enhance teaching and learning opportunities, and then facilitated implementation at their local sites. The following questions were addressed: (a) How was the process of implementing distance education initially characterized? (b) What barriers did schools face? (c) How did school teams function? (d) How did this process affect perceived attitudes, concerns, and self-efficacy of participants? and (e) In what ways did individuals and schools redefine, reorganize or reinvent the initial process in order to optimize implementation? Qualitative research methods, supported by qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments, were utilized. Teachers and administrators on school telecommunications teams completed questionnaires at the start and close of the study that addressed attitude, concerns (measured via Concerns-Based Adoption Model [CBAM] instrument) and self-efficacy. Additional data was obtained from analysis of open-ended surveys; focus group transcripts; documents; interviews; and researcher notes, comments, and observations of workshops and meetings attended by school team...

From the standpoint of improving clinical outcomes, one would be hard pressed to find a factor more important than patient behavior. Seven of the ten most deadly diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes,

Objectives: To conduct initial analyses and examine ways in which depression and anxiety are associated with outcomes after participation in the Healthy Living Course (HLC), an early-intervention diabetes prevention program for adults with prediabetes. Design: Randomised controlled study using pre-intervention and postintervention measures to examine relationships between depression, anxiety and diabetes-related program outcomes. Participants and setting: 185 adults from urban and rural Victoria with prediabetes who had completed the HLC program and for whom postintervention measure data were available. Data were collected between 15 June 2006 and 15 June 2008. Main outcome measures: Baseline and postintervention scores on mood (anxiety, depression), biochemical (fasting plasma glucose, oral glucose tolerance), anthropometric (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference), cognitive (self-efficacy, diabetes knowledge) and behavioural (healthy eating, physical activity) measures; correlations between these measures.

Please do not return it to the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree