Which mechanism involves receiving verbal encouragement from others that you can perform a task?

Which mechanism involves receiving verbal encouragement from others that you can perform a task?

• A. Receiving verbal persuasion from others that one can do a task
• B. Modeling after others' behaviors
• C. Vicarious experience
• D. Paying attention to one's own physiological states

Answer: (A)

Verbal persuasion is the idea that encouragement from others can boost your belief that you can complete a task. When teachers, coaches, or peers tell you that you’re capable, it can raise your confidence, increase your effort, and help you persevere, especially when you’re just starting or facing difficulty. The impact comes from credible, specific feedback and the trust you have in the person giving the encouragement, which makes you more willing to try and persist. This isn’t about watching someone else perform to learn by imitation—that would be vicarious experience. It also isn’t about your body’s signals or feelings during a task—interpreting anxiety or arousal as signs of threat or capability. While those factors can influence self-belief, verbal persuasion specifically refers to the power of encouraging words from others to affirm your capabilities.

Verbal persuasion is the idea that encouragement from others can boost your belief that you can complete a task. When teachers, coaches, or peers tell you that you’re capable, it can raise your confidence, increase your effort, and help you persevere, especially when you’re just starting or facing difficulty. The impact comes from credible, specific feedback and the trust you have in the person giving the encouragement, which makes you more willing to try and persist.

This isn’t about watching someone else perform to learn by imitation—that would be vicarious experience. It also isn’t about your body’s signals or feelings during a task—interpreting anxiety or arousal as signs of threat or capability. While those factors can influence self-belief, verbal persuasion specifically refers to the power of encouraging words from others to affirm your capabilities.