Locus of control as a mediator of adaptive behaviour in children and adolescents.

Abstract

Summarizes and evaluates the literature on locus of control and adaptive behavior in children and adolescents. Included are descriptions of the various measures of locus of control for younger samples (e.g., Children's Picture Test of Internal-External Control, Children's Locus of Control Scale, Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire), their reliability and validity, and their association to race, socioeconomic status, and age. Although the majority of the research is correlational in nature, there appears to be substantial support for the notion that children and adolescents who hold internal beliefs function in a more positive, efficacious, and adaptive manner in both achievement and nonachievement situations than their external counterparts. Research on the antecedents and modification of locus of control beliefs suggests that awareness of behavior-reinforcement contingencies is the critical factor in the development or change of such beliefs. It is suggested that future research provide appropriate controls for the possible confounding influence of verbal ability and socioeconomic status and also consider the contribution of other social learning theory variables in examining locus of control relationships. (French abstract) (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)