This study addresses the contradictory results obtained in previous research regarding the relationship between locus of control and individuals who abuse alcohol. An alternative construct, control discrimination accuracy, is suggested as a means to address the previous contradictory results. Through the development of the Control Discrimination Accuracy Typology, the construct focuses on the accuracy of control discriminations rather than on the locus of control construct's focus on perception of the location of reinforcers. / Three measurement scales were developed to make assessments of individual's control discrimination accuracy. Evaluation of the instruments revealed adequate reliability as well as adequate content, discriminant, construct, and factorial validity. Cutting scores for the scales were developed for examination of group differences. The scales were administered to random samples of active duty Air Force members classified at various levels of drinking behavior: (1) alcoholic, (2) problem drinker, (3) non-problem drinker, and (4) non-drinker. / The main findings are: (1) Air Force active duty individuals diagnosed as alcoholic had statistically significant greater problems with control discrimination accuracy than random sampled Air Force active duty members, (2) control discrimination accuracy can function as a construct in aiding efforts to discriminate between problem and non-problem drinking groups, (3) hierarchical regression analyses indicated control discrimination accuracy explained greater proportions of variance between problem and non-problem drinking groups than the examined demographic and drinking behavior variables, and (4) the four developed Control Discrimination Accuracy Types were superior to the dichotomous locus of control orientations in characterizing individuals who abuse alcohol. Evaluation and intervention utilities for the control discrimination accuracy construct are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-10, Section: A, page: 3873. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75935 |
| Contributors | NEWSOME, RICHARD DOWELL., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 260 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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