Cultural contributions to constructing locus-of-control attributions

Locus of control attribution patterns have been demonstrated to predict a variety of behavioral and adaptational characteristics in a number of societies. As a consequence, questions concerning the comparability of those attributions across cultures have been of interest to social and personality theorists as well as to their more action-oriented colleagues. In the present study, the processes used by Indian college students to form those attributions have been studied and compared with those used by a similar sample in the United States. A structure-factor approach was used, because it allowed for a comparison of attribution patterns within and between cultures as well as the drawing of inferences about locus-of-control attributions that are theoretically and practically important. Results supported the utility of such an approach, identified culturally syntonic patterns in both samples, and also identified cross-cultural similarities and differences in locus-of-control attributions.     

A social systems perspective of adolescent pregnancy: Determinants of parent and parent-child behavior

Social systems theory was used as a framework for examining the relationships among demographic characteristics (age, education level, marital status, social class, income), intrapersonal beliefs (self-esteem, locus-of-control, and parent attitudes), social support, and pregnancy, birth-related, and postpartum outcomes. The subjects were 21 teenage mothers who participated in a model-demonstration program designed to provide and mediate support that would decrease stress and foster positive functioning during and after their pregnancies. The findings showed that social support, social class, and locus-of-control were related significantly to the subjects' personal well-being and family climate during the course of their pregnancies. Education level, social class, and social support significantly predicted both birth-related and postpartum outcomes. Participation in the demonstration project had positive influences on self-esteem, locus-of-control, and caregiver styles of interaction. The results are discussed in terms of the need for a broader-based, social systems perspective of the factors that influence positive outcomes among pregnant teenagers.     

Bipolar locus-of-control scales

Empirical results of former research as well as the theoretical analysis of Tyler, Gatz and Keenan (1979) leave room for doubt about the forced-choice logic of Rotter's I-E-scale. Our research shows that it is possible to construct bipolar locus-of-control scales by carefully controlling the scale content in the sense proposed by Tyler et al. Empirical results for the Levenson battery also show logical inadequacies. We propose that, in further research, only those scales whichfit the locus-of-control theory be implemented.     

Combination of drive and incentive

This experiment was designed to investigate the combination of drive and incentive as determinants of performance. Nine groups of rats were trained to press a bar under three levels of food deprivation (12, 24 and 36 hr.) and three incentive conditions (1,2 and 3 pellets). Response strength was estimated by counting the number of responses with a latency of 1 sec. or less during five 20 trial sessions. The results indicated that response strength increased with hours of deprivation and with amount of food reward. Significant interactions between sessions and drive, and sessions and incentive provided additional support for the multiplicative combination of H (habit) and D (drive) and H and K (incentive). The lack of significant interaction between D and K was interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that D and K combine additively rather than multiplicatively.     

用验证性因素分析法对控制源量表的分析研究

验证性因素分析方法克服了传统的探索性因素分析的不足,为心理学发展和研究的精细化、数学化提供了更可行的途径。本研究运用验证性因素分析方法对心理控制源量表进行了分析研究,研究发现L1SREL软件对SPSS不能分析出来的因素可以进一步地给予精确数据。     

Effects of defensiveness and self-actualization on a Herzberg replication

Two hundred workers were tested for self-actualization, internal vs external locus-of-control, repression vs sensitization, need for approval, and the tendency to attribute job satisfaction and dissatisfaction to motivators and hygienes. Results indicated that self-actualization is related to the attribution of satisfaction to both motivators and hygienes and that external locus of control, sensitization, and low need for approval are related to the attribution of dissatisfaction to both motivators and hygienes. Discussion includes a caution on the design of Herzberg replications and a suggestion that attribution of job feelings may be a function, in part, of personality variables affecting only a good or only a bad feeling.     

Alcohol, sexual arousal, and self-control

The effects of alcohol on self-regulation were investigated using delay of gratification for viewing time for an erotic film as the primary dependent measure. Other measures included reflection--impulsivity, locus of control, sexual-guilt scores, and continuous recording of subject's penile tumescence. Using a balanced placebo design, subjects were led to believe that they had consumed an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage, and half of each of these two groups received either alcohol or tonic water. In addition, the effects of three doses of alcohol (placebo, low dose, high dose) were investigated. Instructional set, regardless of drink content, resulted in longer delay times and increased thoughts with sexual content. Although there was no significant relation between increasing dose of alcohol and delay time, there was an interaction between locus-of-control scores and alcohol dose. Externalizers showed an inverse linear relation between increasing dose of alcohol and delay time. Internalizers showed the opposite trend. Implications for the self-regulation of sexual behavior under the influence of alcohol are discussed.     

Church Attendance and Marital Commitment Beliefs of Undergraduate Women

Marital commitment between spouses has been found to be an important predictor of successful marriages. Beliefs about marital commitment among never-married young adults are of interest because of their probable influence on subsequent marital behaviors. The current study examined social-cognitive processes; specifically, religiousness, locus-of-control beliefs, and gender role attitudes, in the prediction of marital commitment beliefs among 294 undergraduate never-married women. We found that higher religiousness and lower chance locus of control were significantly correlated with stronger marital commitment beliefs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that religiousness was the best predictor of marital commitment beliefs in this sample. Social learning processes are implicated in the development of marital commitment beliefs. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Incentives improve performance on both incremental and insight problem solving

An increasing number of studies are showing a connection between emotion and motivation and cognitive processes. Most of these studies, however, have been correlational in nature, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. We directly manipulated motivation through the use of an incentive and investigated its effects on insight and incremental problem solving. In four experiments we found that an incentive (the opportunity to leave the experiment early) increased problem-solving performance for all problems presented, regardless of problem type. Additionally, we found evidence that the incentive increased recall memory, indicating more thorough processing for participants in the incentive condition. This study provides evidence that incentives influence problem solving and implies that motivation should not be ignored when investigating cognitive processes.     

Incentives improve performance on both incremental and insight problem solving

An increasing number of studies are showing a connection between emotion and motivation and cognitive processes. Most of these studies, however, have been correlational in nature, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. We directly manipulated motivation through the use of an incentive and investigated its effects on insight and incremental problem solving. In four experiments we found that an incentive (the opportunity to leave the experiment early) increased problem-solving performance for all problems presented, regardless of problem type. Additionally, we found evidence that the incentive increased recall memory, indicating more thorough processing for participants in the incentive condition. This study provides evidence that incentives influence problem solving and implies that motivation should not be ignored when investigating cognitive processes.     

The effect of anxiety on food intake in the rat

Three levels of anxiety were induced experimentally in rats. With hunger drive held constant, the effects of anxiety on the intake of food which had either a positive or negative incentive value were observed and compared. The results for the intake of food with positive incentive value showed eating to be increased above control level by a low level of anxiety, and slightly decreased by medium and high levels. On the other hand, a direct relationship was observed between level of anxiety and suppression of the intake of food with a negative incentive value. These findings were shown to be inconsistent with previous explanations of similar effects in terms of an interaction between relevant and irrelevant drives. An alternative explanation in terms of incentive was offered.     

Salience of initial attitude,magnitude of incentive,and attitude change in a forced compliance paradigm

To examine the application of interpersonal simulation findings to cognitive dissonance and incentive theories of attitude change in the forced compliance paradigm, 60 Ss were paid 50 cents or $2.50 to write counterattitudinal essays with salient or nonsalient initial attitudes. Findings showed that the larger incentive yielded greater change for salient pretest attitudes but that the smaller incentive led to more change of nonsalient pretest attitudes. Measures of error in attitude recall and a correlational analysis between pretest, posttest, and recalled attitudes were also consistent with Bem's (1967) hypothesis of isomorphism between the attributions of Ss and observers. It is proposed that remaining simulation data reported in the cognitive dissonance/self-perception controversy may identify additional parameters of attitude changes in forced compliance experiments.     

Manipulations of subjects'' level of arousal in dichotic listening

The effects of manipulation of the subject's level of arousal on the right ear advantage (REA) in dichotic listening to CV-syllables were investigated. There were three different arousal manipulations under high and low incentive levels. Negative manipulations involved threat of electric shock (high incentive) or noise (low incentive) for incorrect answers. Positive manipulations involved the possibility to earn a substantial (high incentive) or small (low incentive) sum of money for correct answers. A third, neutral, condition involved no specific instructions about consequences for correct or incorrect answers. Thirty-six females participated in the study. Heart rate was recorded as an independent measure of change in level of arousal as a function of the experimental instructions. The results showed that the high negative condition abolished the REA effect, with a non-significant difference between ears. This was caused by both an increase in correct left ear reports and a decrease in correct right ear reports. The other arousal conditions had no effect on the REA. The results are discussed in terms of right hemisphere dominance for aversive emotional processing in dichotic listening.     

Effect of Incentives on Learning in Middle-and Lower-Class Children

Classified by Warner's Index of Status Characteristics as either middle class (MC) or lower class (LC), 10- and 15-year-old children learned a list of five low association nonsense syllables by the anticipation method to a criterion of one perfect recitation under one of three incentive conditions: material, social approval, or no incentive. As predicted, 10-year-old LC children performed better when offered a material incentive, whereas their MC peers performed best under social approval. There were no significant differences in learning between 15-year-old MC and LC children, suggesting that with age older LC children become more responsive to nonmaterial reinforcers as they become increasingly exposed to MC norms.     

Effects of manipulating incentive visibility during the baiting phase of delayed-response problems

Rhesus monkeys were given 960 delayed response (DR) problems. The incentive was either visible or not visible during the baiting phase of each problem, and a 0-, 5-, 10-, or 20-sec intraproblem delay was imposed. Performance was substantially better when the incentive could be seen during the baiting phase. When the incentive was visible during baiting, at all stages of training performance decreased as a function of increased chance levels after short delays, and the rate of improvement with training was comparable after each of the four intraproblem delays. When the incentive was not visible during the baiting phase, an inverse relationship between performance and delay duration became evident only during the later stages of training. On the initial problems performance was at chance levels, and although improvement with training was evident, the rate of this improvement was inversely related to delay duration. The findings were interpreted in terms of Fletcher's orienting response analysis of DR performance.     

Reward Influence on the Heart: Cardiovascular Response as a Function of Incentive Value at Five Levels of Task Demand

This study examined cardiovascular effects of incentive value in men and women confronted with cognitive challenges that were more and less difficult to meet. Participants performed computer memory tasks varying in difficulty from low to high, with instructions that they could earn chances toward a $100 prize or $10 prize by attaining a 90% success rate. Analysis of cardiovascular responses assessed during work revealed an interaction between difficulty and incentive value for heart rate. Participants' heart rate responses were proportional to task difficulty and unaffected by incentive value in all conditions except for the most difficult one. Where difficulty was greatest, $100 participants showed relatively high heart rate responsiveness, whereas $10 participants showed low heart rate responsiveness. This heart rate finding corroborates and extends cardiovascular results from previous experiments, and lends further support to the view that cardiovascular responses will be proportional to incentive value only under some task conditions.     

The eukolos-dyskolos dimension: locus of control and personal satisfaction

It is first asked how Hofst?tter's (1986) personality dimension dyskolos-eukolos could be validated without directly using self-assessments of subjective well-being. It is argued that internal and external locus-of-control beliefs could be tied to this construct. A study with 264 respondents shows that internal beliefs lead to well-being ratings that are higher in every life aspect than those associated with ratings of external beliefs. The effects are only marginally greater for control beliefs directly related to the different life aspects. It is hypothesized that internal control beliefs and high satisfaction are both generated by experiences of behavior that is both successful and causally self-attributed.     

Intention to Migrate: A Psychological Analysis1

A sample of 102 male East Indians intending to immigrate to Canada was compared on several personality and nonpersonality variables with a matched sample of 114 Indians who planned to remain in India. A mail questionnaire procedure was used. Discriminant analyses indicated that personality factors alone accounted for 27% of the variance and that inclusion of nonpersonality factors raised this to 38%. The most important variables separating the groups are occupational satisfaction, sensation seeking, interest in world news, and a locus-of-control component. The findings indicate the sizeable role of personality factors in the decision to migrate and illustrate the utility of a multifaceted approach in understanding complex phenomena such as migration.     

The role of response-contingent incentives in lithium chloride-mediated suppression of an operant response

Three experiments investigated what role a novel incentive plays in the development of operant response suppression mediated by lithium chloride. In all experiments animals were trained to press two levers under concurrent schedules of reinforcement. In Experiment 1 responding on one lever delivered a familiar incentive (food pellets), whereas responding on an alternative lever delivered a novel incentive (sucrose solution) prior to lithium chloride injections. If lithium was administered immediately after the instrumental session, the action associated with the novel, but not with the familiar, incentive was suppressed. By comparison, in a control group for which responding on both levers led to the familiar incentive, both actions were suppressed. Experiment 2 examined whether the novelty, rather than the sensory properties, of the incentive is crucial for observing performance suppression. It was found that animals familiarized with the “target” incentive were insensitive to aversion conditioning by lithium, in that there was no difference in response rates between the action that delivered the familiar incentive from that which earned the “target”. In contrast, if animals were unfamiliar with the “target” incentive at the time of aversion conditioning, they suppressed responding on the lever that was associated with the novel incentive but did not suppress responding on the lever associated with the familiar incentive. Experiment 3 investigated the mechanism underlying instrumental performance suppression. After the completion of concurrent lever press training, novel sucrose was introduced in conjunction with the pellets for responding on one lever; responding on the other lever continued to deliver only familiar pellets. Lithium injections were then administered either immediately following the sessions or several hours after the sessions. It was found that the rate of responding on the lever associated with the contingent delivery of sucrose was suppressed below that of the pellet-alone action. By comparison, if lithium injections were administered several hours following the session, an elevation in responding on the sucrose-plus-pellet lever was observed. The outcomes of all three experiments demonstrate not only that the novelty of an incentive is important in obtaining performance suppression, but also that a novel incentive can punish instrumental responding if it has been associated with toxicosis.