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Assessing Locus of Control of Reinforcement in Elderly People: Evaluation of the Desired Control Measure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Lynn E. Kelly ,
V. Jane Knox  and
William L. Gekoski
Lynn E. Kelly
Affiliation:
Queen's University
V. Jane Knox
Affiliation:
Queen's University
William L. Gekoski
Affiliation:
Queen's University
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Abstract

To determine whether Reid and Ziegler's Desired Control Measure assesses locus of control of reinforcement 363 community-residing elderly individuals completed: (a) the Desired Control Measure (DCM); (b) Levenson's Internal (I), Powerful Other (PO), and Chance (C) Locus of Control Scales; (c) the Life Satisfaction Index – Form A; and (d) the Affect Balance Scale. Support for construing the DCM as an index of locus of control was not obtained: (a) DCM scores correlated only modestly with the I, PO, and C scales; (b) factor solutions indicated minimal item overlap on the two measures; and (c) regression analyses indicated that the DCM added substantially to the variance in adjustment measures accounted for by I, PO, and C. We conclude that the DCM does not primarily tap locus of control, and is more appropriately conceptualized as an index of individuals' perceptions/evaluations of their environment.

Résumé

Afin de déterminer si la mesure de contrôle désiré de Reid et Ziegler permet d'évaluer le lieu de contrôle du renforcement, 363 aînés habitant dans la communauté ont rempli: (a) la mesure de contrôle désiré (MCD); (b) les échelles de contrôle interne (I), de la puissance des autres (PA) et de hasard (H) de Levenson visant à déterminer le lieu de contrôle; (c) l'indice de satisfaction de la vie – formulaire A; et (d) l'échelle de l'équilibre affectif. Rien n'a démontré que la MCD constituait un indice du lieu de contrôle: (a) les résultats de la MCD ne correspondent que modestement aux échelles I, PA et H; (b) les solutions de facteurs révèlent un chevauchement minime des deux mesures; et (c) les analyses de régression indiquent que la MCD a considérablement élargi l'écart entre les mesures d'ajustement justifiées par les échelles I, PA et H. Nous concluons que la MCD ne touche pas principalement le lieu de contrôle, et qu'elle est davantage conceptualisée comme un indice permettant de déterminer chez les gens les perceptions et les évaluations de leur milieu.

Keywords

AgingLocus of ControlMeasurementVieillissementlieu de contrôlemesure
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , Automne/Fall 1994 , pp. 318 - 331
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1994

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