Locus of Control & Behaviour (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

Here is an example of a Paper 3 source and a 15-mark ERQ using motivation (HL extension) in the Human Relationships context:

Source 5

Locus of control (LOC) refers to the extent to which someone believes that they have control over – and responsibility for – their lives rather than attributing outcomes to external factors. Rotter (1966) designed a scale to measure LOC which assesses the extent to which someone uses a predominantly internal or external LOC.

Internal locus of control

A high internal LOC is evident in people who feel that they have control over their lives and responsibility for their behaviour. People with a high internal LOC can resist pressure to conform and obey as they adhere to a high set of standards that they have designated themselves. People with a high internal LOC tend to be confident, intelligent and achievement-orientated

Examples of high internal LOC behaviour might include:

• accepting responsibility for not passing an exam by admitting that they did not work hard enough

• refusing to work beyond office hours at the weekend for a tyrannical boss

• not joining in with friends who are gossiping about someone behind their back

External locus of control

High external LOC is evident in people who feel that they have no control over their lives and assume a lack of responsibility for their behaviour. People with a high external LOC are less able to resist pressure to conform and obey, as they believe that other, external factors determine their outcomes. People with a high external LOC tend to lack confidence, feel insecure and have a high need for social approval

Examples of high external LOC behaviour might include:

• blaming the teacher for an exam failure

• working beyond office hours at the weekend for a tyrannical boss because they do not feel that they can say no

• joining in with friends who are gossiping about someone behind their back as they want to stay 'in' with the group

Q4: To what extent can we conclude that locus of control is key to understanding resistance to social influence? In your answer, use your own knowledge and at least three of sources 2–5.

[15 marks]

Model answer:

(Here are two paragraphs which could appear as part of a longer response to this question.)

LOC is key to understanding resistance to social influence, as it draws from the idea that people will either 'own' their own behaviour or seek to blame others/the situation for their behaviour (particularly if the outcome is negative). An internal LOC means that someone is more likely to resist the pull to conform to others, as it involves an independence and autonomy that is unlikely to bow to social pressure. Asch (1951) found that 26% of the participants did not conform on any of the trials, which is fairly robust evidence of people refusing to bend to normative social influence.

However, the reasons behind a refusal to conform (such as internal LOC) are not easy to operationalise and measure. Asch's non-conforming participants may have done so due to their LOC but this was not reported in the findings. Additionally, the participants may not have conformed if they guessed the aim of the experiment, which does not really reveal how they might/might not conform in the real world. LOC is a 'slippery' variable and can only really be tested using self-report methods which are rife with bias, e.g., social desirability bias, response bias, leading question bias, etc.

Guidance

• The command term “To what extent” requires you to express a view/judgement on the merit, validity, or success of an argument or concept, supported by relevant evidence

• Weigh up the relative merits of the claim

  • What is there in this (and other) source(s) that could be used to back up this argument?

  • Do you know of any research or examples which could be used to validate the idea LOC plays a key role in resisting social influence?

• Consider the difficulties facing clinicians trying to operationalise and measure LOC

  • What specific variables and research methods could they use?

  • How might each method be evaluated in terms of its reliability and validity?

  • Don't forget that cultural bias is a key discussion point here, as a high internal LOC may not necessarily be viewed as positive by all cultures.

• Make sure that your argument is informed by the sources and that it draws from the relevant topics featured in this context

• Include concepts (e.g., causality, bias) to inform your critical thinking and discussion of the source(s) as well as any real-world or anecdotal examples you are aware of