Effects of locus of control, instructions, and verbal conditioning on self-referenced affect in a counseling interview.

Examined the relationships between locus of control, specificity of instruction, and verbal conditionability on self-referenced affect in a counseling analog interview. 118 female undergraduates were administered Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale. On the basis of scores tabulated for H. L. Mirels's factor of personal internality, 40 Ss were classified as internals or externals and were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: general instructions or specific instructions. All Ss then participated in an interview with a counselor. The interview was divided into 3 sections: baseline, conditioning, and extinction. During the conditioning period, the counselor verbalized self-referenced affect and reflection of feeling on a 2-min interval schedule. Results indicate that specific instructions combined with verbal conditioning procedures produced the greatest increase in self-referenced affect for both internal and external Ss. Findings are discussed in relation to the directive and instigational functions of instructions on internal/external Ss. Implications for future research are outlined. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived locus of control and personal adjustment.

Administered rotter's internal-external control of reinforcement (i-e) scale and the personal orientation inventory (poi), a measure of self-actualization, to 55 male and 55 female undergraduates. For females, the major poi subscale, internal support, was significantly (p     

Perceived parental characteristics, locus of control orientation, and behavioral correlates of locus of control.

Attempted to ascertain perceived parental behavior associated with locus of control orientation. 112 high school seniors (58 males and 54 females) completed the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey and the Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale. Generally, perceived paternal nurturance was associated with female internality, and perceived maternal nurturance was associated with male internality. All Ss perceived parents as having a similar locus of control orientation. In Phase 2 of the study, behavior associated with Ss' locus of control and perceived parental locus of control orientation was investigated. Ss' expressed internality was associated with higher achievement for males and with greater social involvement for females. Perceived paternal internality was significantly associated with greater female achievement. Results are discussed in terms of social learning and cultural role-expectancy theory. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group measure of locus of control.

Gave the Gruen, Korte, Stephens Internal-External Scale, a new measure of locus of control designed for use with children of differing socioeconomic and ethnic status, to a total of 1,100 black, white, and Spanish, moderately disadvantaged children from Grades 2, 4, and 6. The white children were compared to a sample of 155 affluent white children. As predicted, older children made more internal responses than younger children and the affluent children made more internal responses than the disadvantaged. Also, white children made more internal responses than either black or Spanish children. Among black Ss there was a significant sex difference, females being more internal than males. Further analyses with another sample of 50 white 2nd graders revealed that the locus of control scores were significantly related to grade point averages, but not significantly related to scores on the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test or the Crandall Social Desirability Scale. The scores on the measure of locus of control were generally skewed toward the internal end of the scale but were most discriminative at the 2nd-grade level. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates for Gruen, Korte, Stephens Internal-External scores were moderately high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal-external locus of control and perception of disability.

Collected ratings of the seriousness of various disabilities from 211 male and 268 female undergraduates. Ss rated the disabilities as they would affect "self" and "other" in their feelings about themselves and in their social relationships. As predicted, externally controlled Ss (as measured by the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale) rated physical disabilities as more debilitating than did the internally controlled. In contrast to externals, internals rated emotional disorders as being more debilitating relative to physical disabilities. Data are interpreted as adding to the construct validity of internal-external locus of control. Implications pertaining to reaction to disability are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital locus of control and marital problem solving.

Examined the relation between 88 couples' (mean age 32.67 yrs) marital locus of control and their approach to marital problem solving. Ss completed Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale and the Miller Marital Locus of Control Scale. It was predicted that internals for marital satisfaction would more actively engage in problem solving than externals and that couples who confronted problems in a constructive rather than an avoidant or destructive style would arrive at better solutions and would be happier with them. Behavioral measures of conflict resolution style and problem-solving ability were derived from videotapes of the couples as they dealt with commonly encountered marital conflict situations. The data support the hypotheses and suggest that internals for marital satisfaction are more active and direct in their problem solving than are externals. Internals were more effective in communicating and achieving their desired goals and reported higher levels of marital satisfaction than externals. Active engagement in the discussion of marital issues by couples resulted in more effective problem solving than styles characterized by avoidance. Destructive marital interaction was related to poor problem solutions and lower self-reported ratings of solution satisfaction. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Replication of dimensions of locus of control.

Employed 120 male and 113 female undergraduates in a replication of H. L. Mirels's (see record 1970-10386-001) study which found 2 factors in analyzing responses to 23 items on Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale. The same polar dimensions of "luck" as the arbiter of life events as opposed to personal control were found as well as a 2nd dimension of degree of control over political and social institutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Origins of health locus of control beliefs.

Explored the origins of health locus of control (HLC) beliefs using a multidimensional HLC battery that was administered to 270 undergraduates. A structural equations analysis showed that beliefs in Self-Control Over Health were positively related to early health habits involving self-care and medical professionals and negatively related to prior family experiences with sickness. Beliefs in Provider Control Over Health were positively related to early health habits involving medical professionals and negatively related to prior sickness experiences in one's family. Beliefs in Chance Health Outcomes were positively related to prior sickness experiences. None of these dimensions of HLC were affected by recent sickness experiences, supporting a view of HLC beliefs as fairly stable individual-difference measures developed relatively early in life. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal-external locus of control: Parental antecedents.

Collected retrospective reports of parental behavior and a measure of internal-external locus of control from 192 male and 235 female undergraduates. Data were analyzed in a 2 * 2 analysis of variance design (sex * parent behavior). Relatively stronger internal control orientations held for ss who described their mothers as more nurturant, having more predictable standards for their children's behavior, and using more achievement pressure. Fathers were described as more nurturant, and as using more physical punishment (males only). Ss who reported that their mothers were (a) more protective, (b) more inclined to use deprivation of privileges, and (c) more inclined to use affective punishment (males only) were found to have stronger external control orientations. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional locus of control in psychiatric patients.

At 1-mo intervals, functionally psychotic and neurotic inpatients (N = 165) were given 3 Likert scales to measure different aspects of locus of control: internality, control by powerful others, and control by chance forces. Initial testing within 5 days of hospitalization indicated that Ss perceived significantly more control by powerful others and chance forces than normal samples, and psychotics scored higher than neurotics. Committed Ss believed that powerful others controlled their lives, and readmitted Ss had higher perceptions of control by powerful others and chance forces than new Ss. Factor analysis indicated that the dimensions of control by powerful others and control by chance forces were consistent factors, while only 1/2 of the internality scale items were responded to as a single factor. During the 1st mo of hospitalization, Ss gained in their belief in internal control. However, initial scale scores were not significantly different from those obtained before discharge. Possible reasons for the lack of change are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Durability and impact of the locus of control construct.

Explores reasons for the extreme interest that has been shown in the locus of control construct and tries to explain why the original review describing the construct had become 1 of the 10 most cited articles published in the history of the Psychological Bulletin. Ecological validity and historical content, in psychology and in current affairs, are both discussed as contributing factors to the impact of the construct. In attempting to explain the qualities that result in such relatively long lasting contributions to the psychological literature, the role of scholarship in unearthing the potential convergence of ideas from varied disciplines is stressed. It is in the discovery of such convergence that assurance is gained that research interest is not faddish and is one of substance. Finally, the importance of presenting means for making use of the construct are emphasized if others are to be persuaded to undertake its investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A locus of control scale for children.

Presents reliability and validity evidence concerning a new measure of a generalized locus of control for children. Construction procedures (with an initial sample of 152 3rd through 9th grade children and a validating sample of 1,017 3rd through 12th grade Ss) leading to the final 40-item scale are described. Preliminary work showed that scores were not related to social desirability or intelligence test scores but to achievement. Continued research with the instrument conducted over a wide range of S populations has provided additional construct validation across variables such as popularity, ability to delay gratification, and prejudice. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of college attendance on locus of control.

Determined the stability of the social-psychological concept of locus of control (LOC) and measured the extent to which LOC changes with the acquisition of postsecondary education. Because measurement errors could affect naive measures of stability and change, the common regression approach was avoided in favor of LISREL, a general method for the analysis of covariance structures that is appropriate for the analysis of panel survey data. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, which involved a stratified national probability sample of 22,652 students. The analysis reported here was confined to data on 8,650 White males. Results show that education beyond high school had little or no effect on LOC. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analytic examination of work and general locus of control.

The current meta-analysis examined the hypothesized consequences of work and general locus of control. As expected, work locus of control generally yielded stronger relationships with work-related criteria (e.g., job satisfaction, affective commitment, and burnout) than general locus of control. We also found some evidence that general locus of control yielded relatively stronger relationships with general criteria (e.g., life satisfaction, affective commitment, and burnout). Regression analysis found several unique effects for both work and general locus of control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived locus of control and prediction of own academic performance.

Hypothesized that internals would be more accurate predictors of their own academic achievement. A total of 554 college freshmen and upperclassmen were given Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, and predicted their own GPA for a semester's work during wk. 1, 9, and 16 of that semester. It was found that although the hypothesis was supported for the freshmen group, upperclassmen were better predictors regardless of locus of control. Results suggest that highly salient cues for prediction available to experienced students reduce the effects of locus of control on predictive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay of gratification and internal locus of control in children.

Administered the S. Nowicki and B. Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children to 76 male and 76 female 3rd-5th graders. Ss were then given the choice of 1 lollipop immediately or 3 lollipops in 2 wk. Age and sex were not related to reward choice. Internal Ss were significantly more likely to choose delayed reward (p     

Fear of success and locus of control in young women.

Administered Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale and M. Horner's incomplete story lead designed to evoke achievement anxieties to 108 female undergraduates. The motive to avoid success was significantly positively associated with external control scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role ambiguity, locus of control, and work satisfaction.

Administered a questionnaire containing Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale, a measure of role ambiguity, and 2 measures of job satisfaction to 94 scientists and engineers employed in an electronics firm. Results indicate that locus of control was related to both role ambiguity and satisfaction and that locus of control provided a greater independent contribution to satisfaction than did role ambiguity. Implications for interpreting scores on measures of role ambiguity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preschool and primary locus of control scale: A reply.

Replies to S. H. Herzberger et al (see record 1979-27662-001), who argued that the internal consistency of the Preschool and Primary Nowicki-Strickland Internal–External Control Scale (PPNS-IE) is not sufficiently high to justify the scale's use. It is argued that in one instance, these authors made major changes in the scale that may have altered the scale significantly. The present authors also offer some possible explanations for differences between their data and those of Herzberger et al; they provide further evidence that the PPNS-IE has obtained significant evidence of construct validation from a variety of other researchers. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)