{"id":2082,"slug":"bandura-self-efficacy-and-goal-gradient","title":"Self-efficacy (Bandura) + goal-gradient — proximal feasible steps raise action","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["fear-appeal-efficacy-pairing"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Bandura's self-efficacy theory — action rises when people believe a feasible path exists and they can execute it. Goal-gradient research — motivational intensity rises as the next step becomes concrete and proximal.\n\n**Caution:** Unrealistic feedback can LOWER self-efficacy. The widget's \"you can fix this\" message must be credible, not aspirational fluff.\n\n**Source:** Bandura; goal-gradient literature. Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Pair the tier with a PROXIMAL, CONCRETE first step (\"Claim your GBP this week,\" not \"improve your digital presence over the year\"). And keep it credible — over-promising erodes self-efficacy on the next pass.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-presenting-tiers-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget presentation layer — tiered results without overclaiming (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"rule-pair-hard-tier-with-feasible-next-step","title":"Rule — Every \"hard\" tier ships with a feasible, proximal first step","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:03.463Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:03.463Z"}