Deconstructing Locus of Control: Implications for Practitioners

Locus of control is demonstrated as being an important individual belief for counselors to consider in their work. Western cultural bias that has influenced the research with locus of control, and may influence how counselors conceptualize clients' problems, is the notion that internal control is always more desirable than external control. Several areas of locus of control theory are reviewed, including sociocultural influences in the formation of the theory, cultural differences in locus of control, and differing conceptualizations of the construct. In addition, selected research with locus of control and mental health is briefly reviewed. Finally, important implications for practitioners are suggested.     

Circle size and diameter tilt: A new look at integrality and separability

In six experiments using the speeded classification paradigm, we provide evidence that the ostensibly “separable” dimensions of size and orientation can produce patterns of either separability or asymmetric configurality, depending on the spatial arrangement of the stimuli. In all experiments, subjects classified large or small circles contairting a single line in one of two possible orientations. When the line touched the circle’s perimeter, thereby defining the diameter of the circle (Experiments 1–4), asymmetric configurality obtained: Variations in size interfered with classification by orientation, but variations in orientation did not interfere with classification by size, and redundancy gain was weak or absent. When the lines fell completely within (i.e., did not touch) the circles (Experiments 5 and 6), the results were consistent with separability: There was neither redundancy gain nor interference. Taken together, the results add to the growing body of evidence that classification of specific dimensional pairs as separable or integral may be less feasible than identifying the more general conditions that increase or decrease the psychological salience of dimensional structures and facilitate or interfere with selection of optimal processing strategies.     

Passive and participant modelling in exposure treatment of obsessive-compulsive neurotics

The effects of passive modelling and participant modelling in exposure treatment were compared in an experimental study on 10 severe obsessive-compulsive neurotics. These effects were assessed in several ways; by self and independent ratings, attitude scales, a psychometric test and a behavioural avoidance test. On most measures, the modelling treatments were more effective than the placebo relaxation treatment and the participant form was superior to the passive form on most indices. The overall therapeutic results were consistent with those obtained in earlier studies in this series.     

Temporal summation at the warmth threshold

Threshold levels for warmth aroused by infrared irradiation were measured in sLx Ss at durations between 0.05 and 10 sec. Beyond a critical duration of about a second, the threshold does not depend on duration. Below critical duration time t trades for irradiance ? by the formula ? = kt^?0.82. That these properties do not depend much on areal extent of stimulation was demonstrated by a study that compared temporal summation for two different areas of the same S’s skin. Individual differences in apparent absolute sensitivity were explored under the rubric of the theory of signal detection.     

Obsessive ruminations : a controlled trial of thought-stopping technique

Thought-stopping treatment for obsessive ruminations was described by Wolpe and Lazarus (1966) and more recently there have been several case-reports in some of which components of the method were unsystematically varied (Stern, 1970; Kumar et al., 1971; Yamagami, 1971). The present study examined one of these variables while holding constant the other components. When thought-stopping is given, the subject is usually relaxed (using a standard set of instructions to relax his muscles) and then asked to ruminate about the obsessive thought. The therapist then shouts ‘Stop’ while making a sudden noise at the same time. At this point the patient is told that he must stop thinking his obsessive idea ; after a pause, this interruption is repeated several times until the obsessional rumination ceases. This procedure was compared to a similar technique in which the patient imagined a neutral (‘control’) thought instead of an obsessive one prior to the onset of the ‘stop’ instruction. In every other way the two procedures were identical.     

The Influence of Early Experiences and Adult Attachment on the Exhibition of the Sexual Double Standard

The sexual double standard is the phenomenon whereby men and women are judged differently for the same sexual behavior. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential relationship between life history theory, attachment theory and the sexual double standard. Life history theory posits that one’s upbringing (e.g., quality of early relationship with one’s parents) may have implications for one’s future mating strategies, especially for women. Furthermore, adult attachment orientation often influences individuals’ feelings toward sexual behavior. To address the relationship between these variables, we had participants complete questionnaires regarding their early relationships with their parents and their current attachment regarding romantic partners. Participants then evaluated a target individual who reported having 1 or 12 sexual partners (N = 154). Results showed that female participants’ early relationships with their parents and their current attachment avoidance predicted their exhibition of the double standard. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical and empirical implications.     

Cultural worldviews and climate change: A view from China

We investigated the association between cultural worldviews and climate change risk perceptions, support for climate friendly policies and climate change mitigation behaviours in a large Chinese sample. Items from Dake's cultural theory scales and Kahan's cultural cognition scale were presented to a Qualtrics online panel consisting of 515 Mandarin‐speaking residents of Beijing. A series of factor analyses revealed that the combined item sets were best represented by four‐dimensions: hierarchism, individualism, egalitarianism and fatalism. Mediation analysis revealed that respondents with egalitarian and non‐fatalist worldviews perceived greater risk associated with climate change, which in turn predicted greater support for policies to manage climate change and increased mitigation behaviour. In addition, respondents who scored high on individualism were less likely to support climate change policies, but this effect was not mediated by risk perceptions. Overall, our results suggest cultural worldviews may influence policy support both directly and indirectly through risk perceptions.