Abstract
Prior to each of 200 stimulus presentations in a two-choice reaction time (RT) paradigm, subjects made a stimulus prediction and then estimated their prediction confidence by verbalizing a number from 50 to 100. The probability of a correct stimulus prediction was experimenter controlled at.70 for a competent condition and at.30 for an incompetent condition. Half of the subjects in each condition were internals (N= 12) and half were externals, as defined by Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale. An external locus of control and an incompetent task competency were additive in increasing independence among three expectancy indexes: stimulus prediction, prediction confidence, and choice RT. Specifically, for prediction-competent internals, the dependency among prediction outcome, confidence, and RT was exactly as hypothesized from expectancy theory; that is, RT was markedly faster to correctly predicted than to incorrectly predicted stimuli, RT to correctly predicted stimuli decreased as confidence in the prediction increased, and RT to incorrectly predicted stimuli increased as confidence for the predicted (nonpresented) stimulus increased. In contrast, neither prediction outcome nor prediction confidence significantly influenced the RT of prediction-incompetent externals.
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This research was supported in part by Grant MH27219-02 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The author is grateful for the research assistance of Mark Albert, Mark Lewis, and Charles Whitman.
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Geller, E.S. Perceived locus of control, expectancy and choice reaction time. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 21, 278–280 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334709
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334709