Internal-External Locus of Control refers to the extent to which persons perceive contingency relationships between their actions and subsequent outcomes. Those who believe they have some control over payoffs in their lives are called "Internals.""Externals," on the other hand, believe consequences are directed by agents outside of themselves.…

Investigated was the effect of age, sex, experience, locus of control, self image, and grade level taught on the attitudes of 139 regular and special class teachers toward handicapped individuals. Ss completed the Attitude Toward Handicapped Individuals (ATHI) Scale, an abbreviated 11-item Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and the…

The purpose of this study was to test an informational vs. a dispositional hypothesis in predicting how children resolve instances of attributional conflict. Sixty-four sixth grade boys served as subjects after scoring in the upper and lower quartile of the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale (IAR). Each child performed two separate…

Sex differences in the correlations between Rotter's Internal-External (I-E) Control of Reinforcement Scale and the Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) are predicted, based on a theoretical expectation of a relationship between I-E and adjustment, and previous research. Both tests were administered to 140 male and 130 female college freshmen.…

Internal-external control is an important individual differences variable that was introduced in a systematic series of social learning studies by Rotter. The I-E dimension refers to the degree to which people view themselves as responsible for the occurrence or lack of occurrence of reinforcement (internals), as opposed to viewing luck, fate,…

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation of generalized and specific expectancies to actual academic performance. Thirty-five female and twenty-eight male fifth and sixth graders completed the Nowicki-Strickland locus of control scales and Rotter Level of Aspiration Board procedures. Results indicated that those, who perceived…

The development of a test to measure Locus of Control (IE) in preschool is described. The test is administered individually to a child, who is preferably alone. The set of 40 questions of which the test is comprised posit the occurrence of some reinforcement, and ask the child what the contingencies for the occurrence of the reinforcement are. The…

Cognitive style research is hindered by a variety of poorly described measures and style classifications and the use of small samples. This study describes and compares three measures of three postulated dimensions of cognitive style: impulsivity/reflectivity; internal/external locus of control; and field dependence/field independence to determine…

Retrospective reports on stressful life events and a measure of internal-external locus of control orientation were analyzed. Findings indicated (a) affectively significant, recalled life stresses (preschool) were related to strong external control orientation in adulthood; and (b) recalled positive life stresses tended to be related to strong…

A total of 57 7- and 8-year-old subjects matched on measures of socioeconomic status, locus of control, need for social approval, and self esteem were assigned to two affect conditions and one control condition. Subsequently they were exposed to a resistance-to-temptation task involving play with a forbidden toy. (GO)

A group of 135 children with adjustment problems, referred to a semiresidential educational setting, were evaluated using the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Scale of Internal-External Control. Pretest scores were factor-analyzed, revealing two correlated factors: general feelings of helplessness in interpersonal relationships, and general feelings…

It was found that from second to third generation, Mexican American children increasingly approach Anglo American norms with respect to field independence, reading achievement, and math achievement. Opposite trends were obtained with respect to self esteem; no significant effects were found with regard to locus of control. (Author/AM)

The results of this study, taken together and compared with data from previous studies, suggest that the locus of control variable may be tapping some basic psychological dimension common to both Chinese and American cultures. (Author/AM)

Two studies are reported which investigated the construct validity and reliability of the Ghiselli Self-Description Inventory as a measure of self-esteem. The first study, using a multitrait-multimethod matrix, found little evidence for the construct validity of the instrument. The second study found a significant, although low, reliability. (…

Groups of 15 left-, 15 mixed-, and 39 right-handed college students were tested with J. Rotter's Locus of Control Scale. (Author)