Research on the effects of self-determined performance standards and locus of control beliefs on children's self-regulation of academic behavior suggested that: (1) the effects of self-regulation are task specific; and that (2) effective academic performance is a function of both motivation and skill. (Author/MJL)

Two measures of locus of control, J.B. Rotter's I-E Scale and H. Levenson's I, P, and C Scales, were correlated with two independent measures of reading achievement in a sample of 100 college freshmen enrolled in a reading improvement program. The Rotter I-E Scale produced no significant relationships to any measure of reading achievement.…

Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (I-E) and the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes were administered to 138 undergraduate students in a personalized system of instruction course. Results indicated that the I-E scale is related only to academic attitudes and that study habits are related to two measures of performance. (Author/JAC)

Results showed that the adolescents with internal locus of control performed significantly better in the low structure reinforcement condition, while the adolescents with external locus of control performed significantly better in the high structure reinforcement condition. (Author)

In this paper differing theories on behavioral psychology are examined as they relate to individual reactions to anxiety producing situations. The focus is on athletes and how personality traits and stress situations influence their behavior and performance. The basic question asked is "How do persons and situations interact in promoting or…

A model of persuasion suggests that individuals comply with a prediction of their behavior because they are persuaded by that prediction; a model of threat suggests that they defy prediction because of its threat of control. College students with either internal (N=20) or external (N=20) loci of control were informed of the accuracy of the…

Systematic investigations have verified the existence of a number of behavioral manifestations of the "Type A" behavior pattern. For example, brief exposure to salient uncontrollable stress has led to enhanced performance by Type A's on a subsequent task, whereas prolonged exposure has lead to performance deterioration. The ongoing experiences of…

One experiment investigated the relationship of goal setting and locus of control to the work performance of mentally retarded adults and a second experiment was a semi-replication study done on college adults. Two main effects were studied: (1) Method of goal setting (whether a worker set his own goal, had a goal set by a supervisor, or simply…

The effects of actor identity on achievement attributions for success and failure were investigated. Subjects filled out a locus of control scale either for themselves, a neutral other, a liked other, or a disliked other. Within each actor identity variation, the scale items were either (1) unchanged from the original version or specified as (2)…

Proposes a peer-teaching-peer strategy that utilizes the low-achieving External as the tutor, a reversal of the usual procedure. The assumption is that the External must experience and perceive personal control over another child in order to begin orientation toward a more internal outlook. (Author)

Studies in the past have shown that reinforcements independent of the subjects actions may induce a feeling of helplessness. Most experiments on learned helplessness have led researchers to believe that uncontrollability (non-contingency of feedback upon response) was the determining feature of learned helplessness, although in most studies…

The development and interrelationship of various measures of independence in children ages 3-12 are examined. Subjects were scored on measures of locus of control and achievement motivation and were rated by teachers on independence and achievement. Subjects were also scored on reliance on adult evaluation and self-evaluation. The results showed…