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  • 1.  Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

    Posted 03-05-2009 13:02
    Does anyone happen to know which 13 items are on the shortened version of Rotter's Locus of Control Scale?  I've seen references to the scale, but can't locate a definitive list of items
    Thanks in advance,
    Kurt
    --
    *******************************************************
    Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D.
    Professor of Psychology
    Co-Director, Ph.D. Program in I/O Psychology
    Director, MAIOP Program
    Director, Center for Organizational Excellence
    President-Elect, Society for I/O Psychology

    Department of Psychology
    Campus Delivery 1876
    Colorado State University
    Fort Collins, CO 80523-1876
    (970) 491-6821
    Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu
    *****************************************************


  • 2.  Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

    Posted 03-05-2009 13:58

    Kurt,

     

    We used Levenson's (1972) scale of locus of control in the following article, which includes the items in the Appendix (8 items in each of three dimensions: internal, chance, and powerful others):

     

    Aguinis, H., & Henle, C.A. (2005).  "How is drug testing implemented in this company?" The answer is in the eye of the beholder. Revue Sciences de Gestion, Management Sciences, 46, 103-133.

     

    This article is available at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~haguinis (click on the "refereed journal articles" link).

     

    Cheers,

     

    --Herman.

    ******************************************
    Herman Aguinis, Ph.D.
    Mehalchin Term Professor of Management
    The Business School, University of Colorado Denver

    http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~haguinis

    Past Editor, Organizational Research Methods
    http://orm.sagepub.com
    ******************************************


    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Kurt Kraiger
    Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 11:02 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

     

    Does anyone happen to know which 13 items are on the shortened version of Rotter's Locus of Control Scale?  I've seen references to the scale, but can't locate a definitive list of items

    Thanks in advance,

    Kurt
    --
    *******************************************************
    Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D.
    Professor of Psychology
    Co-Director, Ph.D. Program in I/O Psychology
    Director, MAIOP Program
    Director, Center for Organizational Excellence
    President-Elect, Society for I/O Psychology

    Department of Psychology
    Campus Delivery 1876
    Colorado State University
    Fort Collins, CO 80523-1876
    (970) 491-6821
    Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu
    *****************************************************



  • 3.  Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

    Posted 03-05-2009 14:17
    Kurt, I am not aware of the 13 item version, but I do know of a 29 item
    version, (the original was 58 items). You can find it here.
    http://www.wilderdom.com/psychology/loc/Measures.html

    Jeff Peterson

    Kurt Kraiger wrote:
    > Does anyone happen to know which 13 items are on the shortened version
    > of Rotter's Locus of Control Scale? I've seen references to the
    > scale, but can't locate a definitive list of items
    > Thanks in advance,
    > Kurt
    > --
    > *******************************************************
    > Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D.
    > Professor of Psychology
    > Co-Director, Ph.D. Program in I/O Psychology
    > Director, MAIOP Program
    > Director, Center for Organizational Excellence
    > President-Elect, Society for I/O Psychology
    >
    > Department of Psychology
    > Campus Delivery 1876
    > Colorado State University
    > Fort Collins, CO 80523-1876
    > (970) 491-6821
    > Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu <mailto:Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu>
    > *****************************************************


  • 4.  Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

    Posted 03-05-2009 14:31
    Kurt, I stand corrected, I did find what I believe is the 13 item
    version. Here it is.

    1.
    Many of the unhappy things in people's lives are partly due to bad luck
    People's misfortunes result from the mistakes they make.

    2.
    One of the major reasons why we have wars is because people don't take
    enough interest in politics.
    There will always be wars, no matter how hard people try to prevent them.

    3.
    In the long run, people get the respect they deserve in this world.
    Unfortunately, an individual's worth often passes unrecognized no matter
    how hard he tries.

    4.
    The idea that teachers are unfair to students is nonsense.
    Most students don't realize the extent to which their grades are
    influenced by accidental happenings.

    5.
    Without the right breaks, one cannot be an effective leader.
    Capable people who fail to became leaders have not taken advantage of
    their opportunities.

    6.
    No matter how hard you try, some people just don't like you.
    People who can't get others to like them don't understand how to get
    along with others.

    7.
    I have often found that what is going to happen will happen.
    Trusting to fate has never turned out as well for me as making a
    decision to take a definite course of action.

    8.
    In the case of the well prepared student, there is rarely, if ever, such
    a thing as an unfair test.
    Many times exam questions tend to be so unrelated to course work that
    studying is really useless.

    9.
    Becoming a success is a matter of hard work; luck has little or nothing
    to do with it.
    Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the
    right time.

    10.
    The average citizen can have an influence in government decisions.
    This world is run by the few people in power, and there is not much the
    little guy can do about it.

    11.
    When I make plans, I am almost certain that I can make them work.
    It is not always wise to plan too far ahead because many things turn out
    to be a matter of luck anyway.

    12.
    In my case, getting what I want has little or nothing to do with luck.
    Many times we might just as well decide what to do by flipping a coin.

    13.
    What happens to me is my own doing.
    Sometimes I feel that I don't have enough control over the direction my
    life is taking.

    Jeff

    Kurt Kraiger wrote:
    > Does anyone happen to know which 13 items are on the shortened version
    > of Rotter's Locus of Control Scale? I've seen references to the
    > scale, but can't locate a definitive list of items
    > Thanks in advance,
    > Kurt
    > --
    > *******************************************************
    > Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D.
    > Professor of Psychology
    > Co-Director, Ph.D. Program in I/O Psychology
    > Director, MAIOP Program
    > Director, Center for Organizational Excellence
    > President-Elect, Society for I/O Psychology
    >
    > Department of Psychology
    > Campus Delivery 1876
    > Colorado State University
    > Fort Collins, CO 80523-1876
    > (970) 491-6821
    > Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu <mailto:Kurt.Kraiger@colostate.edu>
    > *****************************************************


  • 5.  Short Version - Locus of Control Scale

    Posted 03-06-2009 03:28
    Dear Kurt
    13, 28 or 58 items, it doesn't matter. If you are following the OB tendency to use Locus of Control as a trait measure, as many of my fellow correspondents have done, I suggest that you read Rotter's 1975 paper

    Some problems and misconceptions related to the construct of internal versus external control of ... Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 1975

    Rotter was one of the founding fathers of Social Learning Theory that people now call Social Cognitive Theory and associate with people like Bandura, Mischel and, the best exemplar among OB researchers, Ed Locke. Social Cognitive Theory views personality as a dynamic process (hence 'learning") and not as fixed traits. OB researchers tend to convert psychological states into traits  (ie treat mediators as moderators).

    This is not to say that belief based measures of personality, like locus of control, or another favourite, goal orientation, do not have some degree of stability. However, stability and generalizability should be treated as variables to be studied.

    Cheers

    Bob

    _________________________
    Robert Wood
    Professor & Director
    Accelerated Learning Laboratory
    Australian School of Business
    UNSW, Sydney 2052 NSW
    Australia
    Telephone +61 2 9931 9190
    email: rwood@agsm.edu.au