All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Identify the locus of control: I got the job because I prepared well.
Answer: Internal locus of control. Credits personal effort for positive outcome.
Flashcard 2: Identify the locus of control: I failed because I did not study effectively.
Answer: Internal locus of control. Takes personal responsibility for the failure.
Flashcard 3: What is agency in psychology?
Answer: Capacity to act intentionally and influence ones life circumstances. Reflects one's power to make choices and create change.
Flashcard 4: Which locus of control attributes outcomes to chance, fate, or powerful others?
Answer: External locus of control. Externals blame circumstances beyond their control.
Flashcard 5: Which locus of control attributes outcomes to effort and personal decisions?
Answer: Internal locus of control. Internals link success/failure to personal actions.
Flashcard 6: What is an external locus of control?
Answer: Belief that outcomes are primarily determined by outside forces (luck, fate). Externals see life events as beyond personal control.
Flashcard 7: What is an internal locus of control?
Answer: Belief that outcomes are primarily determined by ones own actions. Internals believe they control their destiny through choices.
Flashcard 8: Which attribution best reflects external locus of control for failure: effort, strategy, luck, or persistence?
Answer: Luck. Luck is an external, uncontrollable factor.
Flashcard 9: What is an attribution in attribution theory?
Answer: An explanation a person assigns to the cause of a behavior or outcome. How people explain causes of events and behaviors.
Flashcard 10: What is self-efficacy in Bandura’s theory?
Answer: Belief in one’s ability to perform behaviors needed to reach goals. Confidence in executing specific actions, not controlling outcomes.
Flashcard 11: Which locus of control is most associated with learned helplessness after failures?
Answer: External locus of control. Helplessness develops when outcomes seem beyond personal control.
Flashcard 12: Which statement best reflects high agency: “My choices matter,” or “Nothing I do changes outcomes”?
Answer: “My choices matter.”. Expresses belief in personal power to influence outcomes.
Flashcard 13: Identify the mismatch: “I control outcomes” (locus) versus “I can do the task” (which construct)?
Answer: Self-efficacy. Self-efficacy focuses on capability, not outcome control.
Flashcard 14: What is personal agency?
Answer: Perceived capacity to initiate actions and influence one’s life outcomes. Reflects belief in one's power to act and create change.
Flashcard 15: Which locus of control is most consistent with attributing outcomes to chance or fate?
Answer: External locus of control. External locus attributes outcomes to forces beyond personal control.
Flashcard 16: Which locus of control is most consistent with high personal responsibility for outcomes?
Answer: Internal locus of control. Internal locus means believing you control your own outcomes.
Flashcard 17: What is locus of control in personality and social psychology?
Answer: Belief about whether outcomes are controlled internally or externally. Distinguishes whether control lies within oneself or outside forces.
Flashcard 18: Identify the locus of control: “I did well because I studied effectively.”
Answer: Internal locus of control. Credits personal effort (studying) for the positive outcome.
Flashcard 19: Which concept best fits: “I can learn this skill if I practice,” even after past failures?
Answer: High self-efficacy. Shows confidence in ability to perform despite past setbacks.
Flashcard 20: Identify the concept: After uncontrollable shocks, an animal stops trying to escape.
Answer: Learned helplessness. Classic example of giving up when outcomes seem uncontrollable.
Flashcard 21: Which attribution best reflects internal locus of control for success: ability, luck, task difficulty, or chance?
Answer: Ability. Ability is an internal, stable personal characteristic.
Flashcard 22: Which construct is being tested: confidence in ability to perform a specific task successfully?
Answer: Self-efficacy. Task-specific confidence is the hallmark of this construct.
Flashcard 23: What is personal agency in psychology?
Answer: Capacity to intentionally influence one’s thoughts, behavior, and environment. Core concept in social cognitive theory of self-determination.
Flashcard 24: Which locus of control is most consistent with the statement: "The test was unfair, so I failed"?
Answer: External locus of control. Blames external factors rather than personal responsibility.
Flashcard 25: Which locus of control is most consistent with the statement: "My effort determines my grades"?
Answer: Internal locus of control. Effort is a personal action under one's control.
Flashcard 26: Identify the attribution: "I failed because the room was too noisy." (locus and controllability)
Answer: External and typically uncontrollable. Environmental factors are outside personal control.
Flashcard 27: Which bias is shown: taking credit for an A but blaming a bad grade on the instructor?
Answer: Self-serving bias. Classic pattern of internal/external attribution for success/failure.
Flashcard 28: What is the actor–observer bias?
Answer: Explaining own actions situationally but others’ actions dispositionally. Different perspectives lead to different causal explanations.
Flashcard 29: Which bias is shown: "I was late due to traffic, but she is late because she is careless"?
Answer: Actor–observer bias. Shows asymmetry in how we judge self versus others.
Flashcard 30: In attribution theory, what does the controllability dimension describe?
Answer: Whether a cause is under personal control versus uncontrollable. Influences emotional responses like guilt or anger.