Final answer:
Self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their own capability to complete a task. It plays a pivotal role in motivating behavior, and it can vary across different situations and domains. Locus of control, another cognitive factor, refers to our beliefs about the power we have over our lives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Self-efficacy is an individual's belief in their own capability to complete a task. It plays a pivotal role in motivating behavior, according to Albert Bandura. Those with high self-efficacy believe that their goals are within reach and have a positive view of challenges, while those with low self-efficacy doubt their ability to be successful and tend to focus on failure. Self-efficacy can vary across different situations and domains. Julian Rotter also introduced the concept of locus of control, which refers to our beliefs about the power we have over our lives.