Although scholars take differing perspectives on the purposes and functions of control and authority, the definitions of these two terms are quite clear. In an organization, to “control” means to constrain work processes, human activity, and environmental events so that the organization creates value. That is, a refrigerator-manufacturing business must control work processes so that
The term locus of control originated in the social learning approach to behavior change in the early 1960s, and the first publication that explicitly examined this topic appeared in 1962. As originally proposed by Julian Rotter, a clinical and social psychologist, locus of control (LOC) refers to a dispositional tendency to perceive events and outcomes
Relational control is the most dynamic of the three dimensions of social relationships proposed by Millar and Rogers (1987) – the other two are trust and intimacy. Control represents the vertical “distance” between the persons in an ongoing interaction; it refers to the pattern of rights and obligations to define or direct and to defer
Numerical control tool programmers, also called computer numerical control tool programmers, develop programs that enable machine tools to produce parts automatically. These precisely made parts are used in automobiles, airplanes, industrial machinery, and other durable goods. There are approximately 143,000 numerical control programmers and operators in the United States. One of the earliest attempts to
Pest control workers treat residential and commercial properties with chemicals and mechanical traps to get rid of rodents, insects, and other common pests. They may work for a pest control company, lawn or landscaping firms, or own and operate their own company. Pest control workers make periodic visits to their clients’ properties to make sure
Quality control engineers plan and direct procedures and activities that will ensure the quality of materials and goods. They select the best techniques for a specific process or method, determine the level of quality needed, and take the necessary action to maintain or improve quality performance. Quality control technicians assist quality control engineers in devising
Control has been conceptualized in many different ways in psychological literature, but the prototype for control is the belief that an agent acting through some means can affect an outcome. Exercise and sport have been examined both as outcomes of personal control beliefs and as means to achieve health and fitness outcomes. However, the effects
Motor control, in reference to movements of an organism or motions of a robot, is often conceived of as a computational problem. How is something or someone able to move to achieve various environmental goals? For human movement, in particular, the question of how individuals are able to organize the motor system at multiple levels
Drugs are used for performance enhancement purposes in elite, competitive, and amateur sports. Unlike heroin, barbiturates, hallucinogens, and substances used for recreational purposes in other subcultures, athletes use and abuse drugs presumed to enhance athletic ability and performance, known as ergogenic substances. The most common performance-enhancing drugs include amphetamines and a range of substances thought
Concepts from control theory date back to the early 1900s; however, the origination of control theory is usually ascribed to the publication of Norbert Wiener’s 1948 acclaimed work, Cybernetics: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. To describe control theory simply, one could generalize that it is premised in understanding and describing self-regulating
Locus of control is a personality variable that reflects a person’s general beliefs about whether he or she is in control or whether external forces are in control. Individuals who believe they are in control are called internals, whereas people who believe that external forces (luck, fate, or powerful others) are in control are called
Locus of Control Definition Who determines one’s fate? Is it the person or outside forces beyond the person’s control? This question lies at the root of the concept of locus of control. People who believe they are in control of their destinies have an internal locus of control (internals). Those who believe that luck and
Locus of control refers to an individual’s overall beliefs regarding whom or what is in control over events that occur in his or her life. People may attribute their chances of success and failure to either external or internal causes. Development of locus of control likely stems from a combination of family background, culture, and
Illusion of Control Definition The illusion of control (also known as illusory control) refers to the tendency for people to exaggerate their ability to produce a desired outcome. Even when it comes to controlling random events, people believe they have control. Factors That Influence Illusory Control Traditionally, people assumed accurate self-knowledge was crucial for survival
Control Motivation Definition Control motivation refers to the motive to exercise at least some control over important events in our lives. The extent to which control motivation is innate or learned remains a point of discussion. But many psychologists argue that virtually all people are motivated to establish a sense of mastery, that is, to
Locus of control (LOC) is a term used to refer to individual perceptions regarding personal control, particularly with regard to control over important outcomes. For example, have you ever tried to convince someone to vote, emphasizing the impact his or her vote could have in an election? Have you ever known someone who did not
Broadly speaking, inhibitory control is the ability to suppress the activation, processing, or expression of information that would otherwise interfere with the efficient attainment of a cognitive or behavioral goal. Everyday examples of inhibitory control include a student who must ignore the conversations of her siblings while she is trying to study for an exam
Mental Control Definition Mental control refers to the ways in which people control their thoughts and emotions to remain in agreement with their goals. People engage in mental control when they suppress a thought, concentrate on a feeling or sensation, restrain an emotional response, or strive to maintain a mood. Mental control proves difficult for
F ine motor control refers to the ability to precisely move and position the limbs, extremities, and digits (especially the fingers). Examples of fine motor control include grasping an object between the thumb and forefinger, tying shoelaces, using a spoon to bring soup to the mouth, and typing. Fine motor control is essential to many
Control Definition The term control has a long history in social psychology and has been used in a variety of ways. At the most general level, control can be defined as influence, whether it be over internal states (as in emotional control or self-control) or over external aspects of the environment, including control over outcomes (i.e.
Control Condition Definition The control condition in an experimental design lacks any treatment or manipulation of the independent variable. People assigned to the control group serve as the basis of comparison for the people in the experimental condition. Everything in a control condition is the same as the experimental conditions except that the independent variable
Careful observers of humans and other organisms noticed long ago that certain variables that should vary as environmental conditions change actually do not vary much within the organism. For example, store shelves remain stocked despite customers buying products. Control theory arose as one explanation for the mechanism that keeps variables stable. Industrial and organizational psychologists