Date of Award

6-1-1971

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Several studies indicate that the Internal Locus of Control Scale (Rotter, 1962) may also be an indicator of concern or anxiety.

The present study was designed to assess whether IE and task variable manipulation would be reflected in physiological and decision time measurements. The specific dependent variables chosen were blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate and decision time. Past evidence suggests that E's are more anxious than I’s, and that anxiety is reflected by a decrease in blood pressure. Evidence also points to the possibility that the other dependent variables considered are affected by IE and task manipulation, although not necessarily in a manner correlated with blood pressure.

Each of sixty internal and external subjects served as their own controls by participating in both a skill and a chance task at the same sitting. All measurements were recorded by a commercial four channel polygraph. A 2x2x2 design was used, with two types of subjects (internal and external), two types of tasks (chance and skill), and two levels of order (skill first, chance first).

Analysis of the data indicated that the respiration rate of the internals was greater than that of the externals and the blood pressure of the internal group participating in a chance task was greater than that of the internal group participating in a skill task.

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