Assessing Contingency, Power, and Efficacy: A Psychometric Investigation of Social Motivation

Abstract

Research was conducted to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of two locus of control scales. A sample of American students completed measures of perceived contingency (locus of control), interpersonal power (desire to control), and social self-efficacy (interpersonal ability). The findings indicated that measures of these theoretically independent constructs are confounded. Taken together with findings from other studies, the results call into question the convergent and discriminant validity of measures of locus of control, interpersonal power, and social self-efficacy.