Locus of Control: Rotter 1954
Julian Rotter observed people in therapy and
noticed that:
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Different people, given identical conditions
for learning, learn different things
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Some people respond predictably to
reinforcement, others less so, and some respond unpredictably
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Some people see a direct and strong connection
between their behaviour and the rewards and punishments received
The core of his approach is called Expectancy
Value Theory: the basic assumption is that your behaviour is
determined not just by the presence or size of reinforcements, but by
the beliefs about what the results of your behaviour are likely to be i.e.,
how likely you are to get the reinforcement. For example:
You’re looking for a job when you finish your
Psych degree. You see an ad for one that pays $40,000 and one that pays
$60,000. Classic behaviourism would say you’d go for the big money but
according to Rotter’s social learning theory there’s something that
behaviourism leaves out: What if you think you haven’t got a hope of
getting the job that’s offering $60,000 but a good chance of getting the
$40,000 one? So if you think your chance of getting the big job is 50/50
Rotter would say that mathematically it’s worth $30,000 to you, whereas
if you think you’re a shoo in for the other job (i.e. a 100% likely to
get it) then that job is worth $40,000 to you. So the lower paying
job has a HIGHER EXPECTED VALUE.
From this viewpoint, people hold expectancies
and these expectancies influence behaviour. These expectancies are
mental representations: based on past outcomes and the situation they
now confront; these things then influence their judgment of the
likelihood of getting their desired outcome. Thus their expectancy
judgments have a causal influence on their behavioural choices.
Rotter believed, as do most social learning
theorists, that if you see a link between behaviours and reinforcers
then your behaviour is affected by the reinforcers. If you don’t see the
link, then you react less predictably to reinforcers (and learning is
not as likely to occur). The term Rotter coined for these beliefs about
whether a behavior will meet with a rewarding outcome was LOCUS OF CONTROL. Locus
means "place". "Internal" (high General Expectancy) locus of
control people believe that through their behavior they can control the
likelihood of receiving reinforcers. "External" (low General
Expectancy") locus of control people don't see as much link between
their behavior and the likelihood of being rewarded.
Hundreds of studies have shown individual
differences in Locus of control. Rotter saw locus of control as being very
general whereas subsequent research suggests that it may be specific to
different domains (e.g., academic, health). Rotter also saw this Internal-External continuum
as a personality trait whereas others disagree. Therapy based on Rotter’s work often includes
social skills training, as he believes that Low Expectancies discourage
the individual from engaging in the world sufficiently to learn them.
Also see:
The Social
Learning Theory of Julian B. Rotter
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