Explains classroom technique to demonstrate to college students that human behavior is at least partially determined by the environment, and thus can be predicted and controlled. Describes how students read one prediction which correctly anticipates usual student behavior, are given a simple request by the instructor, and then read second…

The Sense of Coherence (SOC) construct, proposed by Antonovsky, has the following three components: (1) Comprehensibility (COMP), the cognitive sense that stimuli confronted convey structured and clear information; (2) Manageability (MAN), the sense that resources at one's disposal are adequate for successful coping; and (3) Meaningfulness (MEAN),…

Compared value of several theoretically derived personal (age and gender), educational (class standing and academic performance), and psychological (locus of control and vocational congruence) factors as predictors of undergraduates' (n=337) career maturity. Vocational congruence and academic performance emerged as two most significant predictors.…

How successfully a student responds to the stresses of college life depends on several factors, including the time of onset, the degree of perceived threat, and the student's repertoire of coping skills. This study was conducted to determine if personal adaptability or ego-strength in college students could be predicted from knowledge of…

Reports a study that examined the utility of health and exercise locus of control and health and exercise value in predicting exercise behavior in 86 adults. Survey results indicated that exercise locus of control was a better predictor of exercise behavior than a more general measure of health locus of control. (Author/SM)

Presents four studies using a criterion measure of political activity to compare overall (locus of control), political, and situation-specific believed efficacy. Reports that the more situation specific the feelings of efficacy, the greater the predictability of political behavior. Concludes that even situation-specific efficacy did not predict…

A study examined the possible relationships between student study behaviors and academic achievement and represented a continuation and extension of an earlier large-scale project undertaken at the Far West Laboratory. Subjects, 184 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course, had their study skills, self-efficacy, academic…

This research examines the interaction between college students' control orientation and a discrepancy score of GPA minus expected grade in course, on the dependent measure of 13 student rating items. It was hypothesized that students with an external locus of control who also showed a discrepancy between expected and actual grades would distort…

During college and after one year of teaching, elementary educators completed surveys regarding their expected computer use in teaching, noting personal variables that might predict computer use. Though 97% predicted computer use, only 61% actually used computers. Self-competence and perceived relevance predicted computer use initially, though not…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of a Factors Influencing Pursuit of Higher Education (FIPHE) Questionnaire which addresses factors influencing a person's decision to pursue higher education. Researchers used a literature-based, rational factors approach to develop the questionnaire; the three-part study included a…