locus of control Flashcards
what does the locus of control tell us about personality
some people feel they are entirely in control of their actions (internal locus) ‘that happened because I made it happen’, where as other are victims of fate (external locus) ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.
outline internal locus of control
what happens is a consequence of their own behaviour. they are active seekers so don’t rely on other for information. make better leaders. resist pressure from others.
outline someone with an external locus of control
luck and fate. helpless in stressful situations. more likely to obey an authority figure.
give research to support. how good.
Bass used Milgram study and found that ppts with an internal locus of control were especially resistant to obedience if they suspected they were being coerced or manipulated by the experimenter. He found high internals were significantly less likely to obey in the Milgram situation (37% disobeyed) compared to only 23% disobedience for high externals.
low internal validity - using secondary research, subjective, cannot ensure researcher bias is not influencing his findings.
