Cyril J. Sadowski

The Relationship of Locus of Control Dimensions to Reported Hostility and Aggression

The Fatalism and Social System Control dimensions of the Reid-Ware Three-Factor Locus of Control Scale were correlated with the two main factors of the Buss-Durkee Hostility-Aggression Inventory. For the total sample of 61 male and 96 female undergraduates, both locus of control dimensions correlated significantly with the Hostility factor. Externals on each dimension reported greater hostility than did internals. Only the Fatalism dimension correlated with the Aggression factor, with externals reporting more aggression than internals. For males, only the Fatalism dimension was significantly correlated with the Hostility factor. Both the Fatalism and Social System Control dimensions correlated with the Hostility factor among the females, but the correlation with the latter dimension was slightly stronger. Neither locus of control dimension was correlated significantly with the Aggression factor when data from males and females were analyzed separately.

Locus of Control and Death Anxiety: A Reexamination

The relationship between locus of control and death anxiety was reexamined in an attempt to reconcile inconsistencies in the literature. The Reid-Ware Three Factor Locus of Control Scale and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale were administered to 164 males and 211 female college students who ranged from seventeen to forty-nine years of age. Separate regression analyses indicated that death anxiety loaded significantly on the Fatalism dimension for males and on the Social System Control dimension for females. The Self-Control dimension was significantly related to death anxiety for both genders, and accounted for more of the explained death anxiety variance than either of the other locus of control factors.

Unusual First Names and Achievement among Male Psychologists

Summary Four studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that individuals with singular first names demonstrate greater achievement than individuals with more common names. The first study found a higher proportion of male psychologists with singular names among Fellows in Division 10 of the APA than among Members and Associates. This finding was not replicated among Division 8 members in the second study. The third study found that male writers with singular first names were more likely to be cited in social psychology texts than would be expected from Division 8 representation. Results of the fourth study indicated that male journal reviewers with singular names were consulted on more manuscripts than their counterparts with more common names.

Effects of Withheld Evidence on Juridic Decisions II Locus of Withholding Strategy

This experiment tested the hypothesis that criminal defendants who withhold evidence on the advice of their counsel will be judged less harshly than defendants whose decision to withhold evidence is a personal one. Although the data were consistent with the hypothesis, attribution of evidence withholding to defense counsel did not completely overcome the biasing effects of an evidence withholding strategy.

Intercorrelations among the Slosson Intelligence Test, the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale, and the Intellectual Efficiency Scale of the California Psychological Inventory

The California Psychological Inventory (CPI), the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT), and the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale (SILS) were administered to 43 undergraduates enrolled in psychology classes at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee. The Intellectual Efficiency (Ie) scale scores were correlated .52 with the SIT scores and .39 with the SILS scores. The coefficients were significant at the .01 and .05 levels, respectively. The correlation of .49 between SIT and SILS scores was significant at the .01 level. No significance was obtained when the SILS Abstraction scores were correlated with the CPI- Ie or with the SIT scores.

The Effects of Information on Perspectives and Attitude Change

Summary This experiment tested the hypothesis that informational communications function like direct persuasive appeals to induce attitude change, particularly if the message is sufficiently extreme to alter Ss’ perspectives. Attitudes toward the target issue were surveyed, and 30 days later, 40 of the survey respondents read an informational communication that was either highly or moderately discrepant with their initial attitudes. The results indicated that the highly discrepant informational communication altered both the upper and lower boundaries of Ss’ perspectives and produced attendant changes in the scale to which it was most directly relevant (i.e., attitude content) without affecting the language Ss used (i.e., self-ratings) to describe that content.

Locus of Control among Students of Traditional and Nontraditional College Age

This study compared the locus of control scores of nontraditional college students, i.e., 25 yr. or older, with those of the traditional age range. Research in the area of locus of control (1 , 2 ) indicates that internal subjects are more careful in making important decisions, more confident about their decisions, and generally more reality-oriented than external subjects. Since nontraditional students seem to embody these characteristics with respect to their educations, it was expected that they would express a more internal locus of control than students of the tradirional age range. Students in lower lwel psychology and sociology classes were subjects. Among the nontraditional students, there were 42 males whose ages ranged from 25 to 42 yr.. and 22 females whose ages ranged from 25 to 32 yr. There were 114 males and 166 females within the traditional age range of 18 to 24 yr. Among those for whom data regard~ng years i n college were available, nontraditional males ( n = 40, M = 2.70 yr., SD = 1.14) did not differ significantly ( P = 2.66, d f = 1 / 1 4 4 ) from che traditional males

The project must count: Fostering positive attitudes toward the conduct of research

Recent years have witnessed increasing concern on the part of the psychological community regarding the effects of research practices on subjects. Although considerable research has been directed at the impact of debriefing on eliminating harmful effects, little attention has been given to factors that influence subjects’ perceptions of the conduct of research. Subjects (n = 406) in the present study read descriptions of six actual experiments which involved deception and stress. Subject status (volunteer vs. nonvolunteer) and scientific value of the research (widespread vs. limited use of results) dimensions were manipulated. Subjects rated each described experiment as ethical or nonethical. Analyses of these ratings indicated that potential subjects had a significant concern over the scientific value of the research, especially in cases where stress or discomfort were involved. Experimenters interested in fostering positive attitudes toward the conduct of research would be wise to take this factor into consideration in dealing with subjects.