Publication Date

5-1974

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Sam McFarland, Carl Martray, Sandra Reese

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

In a Taffel-tyne erbal conditioning task, the conditionabilitv of Internals (I's) and Externals (E's) was investigated under two types of influence (Hi vs. Lo) involving Ss who were either aware or unaware of the correct responsereinforcement contingency. A 2 X 2 X 2 X 7 repeated measures analysis of variance conducted on both the conditioning and extinction data revealed that aware Ss used the operant to a significantly greater degree during conditioning and significantly less during extinction. No significant differences in the rate of responding during conditioning and extinction were found for the main effects of locus of control or influence. Locus of control, influence, and awareness did not significantly interact during conditioning, however, they did interact to effect level of responding during extinction. A Sandler's A conducted on the three factor interaction found that during extinction, aware I's under Lo influence reacted against conditioning by increasing their use of the operant. All other groups were found to decrease their use of the operant from conditioning to extinction. Implications are drawn from this study as pertaining to the effectiveness of behavior modification programs, psychotherapies and the generalization of experimental findings as a result of internal vs. external attitudes. Suggested revisions for future studies include the use of a larger population, modification of the I-E Scale, and more personally relevant experimental conditions in which to study the conditionability of I's and E's.

Disciplines

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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