The Relationship between Three Multidimensional Locus of Control Scales

Abstract

A number of different multi-dimensional scales have been developed to measure the locus of control construct. This study examined three of these scales, Levenson's Locus of Control Scale (LOC), based on Social Learning theory, the Trent Attributional Profile (TAP) and Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scales (MMCS) both based on the attributional perspective. A total of 161 undergraduate students with a mean age of 23.1 (SD = 8.19) provided responses to each of the three scales. Results revealed a number of psychometric problems with both the TAP and MMCS, along with small but statistically significant correlations between the equivalent subscales on both inventories. Overall, the LOC achieved statistically significant correlations with both the TAP and MMCS suggesting that although the scales were developed from different theoretical perspectives, they appear to measure similar constructs.

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