Locus of Control Among Mainstream and Hispanic Navy Recruits: A Methodological and Substantive Study

摘要

A multidimensional scaling method was used as a possible way to establish and improve an instrument for measuring locus of control cross-culturally. Four subscales, corresponding to Collins' (1974) factors, were isolated. Of these, the Politically Responsive-Unresponsive World subscale was found to be lacking in cross-cultural validity for comparisons of Mainstream and Hispanic Navy recruits. The more traditional methods of comparing factor structures and validating by nomological network were also used and compared with the multidimensional scaling method. Substantively, 79 Mainstream and 82 Hispanic Navy recruits were compared on the three 'usable' subscales to investigate the relative effects of acculturation into Mainstream culture and non-conformity on locus of control beliefs. No significant differences were found. Acculturation was unrelated to locus of control, except for the Just-Unjust World subscale, in which the relation was curvilinear. In addition, bicultural Hispanics were more external than the less bicultural Hispanics on the Difficult-Easy World subscale. (Author)