Vocational psychology has recently begun examining the career development of marginalized and underrepresented populations. Social cognitive career theory provides a theoretical understanding of how cultural differences, resources, and barriers may affect the vocational choices and actions of individuals from minority populations. Contextual…

This article presents two experiments examining the effects of external focus of attention on motor performance and learning. Two main findings resulted from the present studies. First, directing learners' attention to the movement effect (external focus) can enhance learning complex, real-life skills. In contrast, wording instructions in a way…

The job satisfaction-job performance relationship has attracted much attention throughout the history of industrial and organizational psychology. Many researchers and most lay people believe that a causal relationship exists between satisfaction and performance. In the current study, however, analyses using meta-analytic data suggested that the…

Airplane travelers are dismayed by the long lines and seemingly chaotic activities that precede boarding a full airplane. Surely, the one who can solve this problem is going to make many travelers happy. This article describes the Jet Travel Challenge, an activity that challenges students to create some alternatives to this now frustrating…

This research empirically examined student behavior in online courses and its relationship to persistence and achievement across fields. Eight variables descriptive of student behaviors online were measured for 1) frequency and 2) duration of participation. Twenty-two courses were grouped into three broad fields: English and Communication; Social…

There are many theoretical commonalities between social learning theory, especially concerning the locus of control construct, and the cognitive-behavioral underpinnings of Rational-Emotive Therapy. One's perceived ability to influence the outcomes of life events as well as the impact of perceptions and interpretations of reality in shaping the…

Paper based on a PhD dissertation submitted to the University of Michigan (1968)

Investigated the concurrent validity of the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale (IAR), an instrument which measures locus of control in academic achievement situations. Teachers from nine elementary schools rated students in grades 3-6 as internal or external in academic achievement situations. These ratings were then compared with the…

Subjects rated each item in Rotter's I-E Scale for its social desirability value. Social desirability scale values (SDSV) of paired items were compared with one another. Results indicate that paired items are not similar in their SDSV, thus enabling subjects to respond on the basis of social desirability. (Author/DEP)

This article shows how the Health Belief Model, social learning theory, and locus of control may be related and posits an explanatory model that incorporates self-efficacy into the Health Belief Model. Self-efficacy is proposed as an independent variable with the traditional variables of perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers.…

Correlational analysis suggested interactions among aspects of locus of control and aspects of death fear varying along the death/dying, self/other, and overt/covert continua. These data enable a more complete understanding of the role that perceived controllability of life events play in determining individual reactions to one's own or another's…

Calculates proportion of topic initiations (intrapersonal definition) and degree of topic determination (interpersonal definition) in counseling dyads. Results indicated regardless of definition, counselors had more control over the topic than clients, and for counselors, topic initiations had no relationship to actual topic control, whereas for…

Examined the relationship between locus of control and psychological disorder in chronic pain patients (N=59) through administration of Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Results suggested that both anxiety and a response set affect this population's rating of ability to control…

Examined the relationship of anxiety, assertiveness, and locus of control to bulimia in college students. Those in therapy for bulimia (N=23) scored lower in assertivenss than did other clients in therapy (N=15) or those in the nonclient control group (N=18). All clients showed greater anxiety than did controls. (Author/BH)

Thirty gifted children (grades six to eight) were allocated to either progressive muscle relaxation or biofeedback treatment groups or to a no-treament, control group. Biofeedback Ss evinced a significant decrease in anxiety and both groups moved towards more internal locus of control compared with controls. There was no change in trait anxiety.…