Based on the scenario below, explain how the student's thoughts and decisions demonstrate at least two key characteristics of low self-efficacy.

Scenario: Maria is a talented artist but has always struggled with math. She is enrolled in a required statistics course. For the final project, students can either analyze a pre-existing dataset or design and conduct their own small study. Designing her own study would be more interesting and could lead to a better grade, but she immediately decides against it, thinking, 'I'll probably mess up the design and the calculations. It's safer to just do the basic analysis.' When she starts working on the pre-existing dataset, she encounters a formula she doesn't immediately understand. Her first thought is, 'I knew it. I'm just not a math person. I'm going to fail this project.'