Relationship between conscientiousness and learning in employee training: mediating influences of self-deception and self-efficacy.

A field study of 97 employees tested a model of the mediating influences of self-deception and task-specific self-efficacy in the relationship between conscientiousness and learning. The setting was an introductory Windows 3.1 software training course. Findings indicated that, as hypothesized, self-deception and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and learning. Specifically, conscientiousness was positively related to self-deception, which was negatively related to learning, and conscientiousness was positively related to self-efficacy, which was positively related to learning. In addition, 4 alternative models were estimated. The results of the tests of the 4 alternative models were not supported by the data, further substantiating the validity of the hypothesized model.