Healthy living Psychology: Locus of Control (Wineman study)

Approach:

• Cognitive

Aim:

• To investigate locus of control, body image and weight loss in obese individuals

Method:

• Self-report/retrospective correlation

Sample:

• 116 self selecting adult members of overeaters anonymous(OA) (12 male, 104 females). Mean age of 40, all were white and were form a range of social class backgrounds

Procedure:

• Sampling procedure: volunteers were sought at an OA workshop attended by 400 members, 264 questionnaires were disrupted; 120 were completed there and then and 144 taken home (45 returned). From the 165 completed questionnaires, 116 met the criteria( over 21; 6+ months at OA and at least 20% overweight at the time and not any on medication.
• Measurement tools: ps responded to 3 questionnaires: a democratic data questionnaire; Rotter's social reaction inventory scale, and Secord and Journards body cathexis scale. The demographic questionnaire contains age, sex and age of onset of obesity. Rotter's scale is 29 forced choice questions relating to beliefs about the world that measure internal and external control. S and J's scale uses a 5 point likert scale to measure satisfaction with various parts of the body. Both had been tested for reliability.

Results:

• Majority of p's had childhood onset obesity (59%). Multiple regression analysis was performed on the age of onset categories separately in order to analyse the relationship between locus of control and weight loss.
• Locus of control significantly predicted body image in the adult group but there was no relationship between LOC and either body image or weight loss in the sample overall.
• Body image and weight loss correlated in the adolescent group. Analysis by gender was conducted using t-tests. Males had a higher degree of satisfaction with their bodies than did females. Males also lost more weight.

Discussion:

• Wineman concluded that external cues may influence a person's eating habits specifically but may not be reflected in those persons' general belief about LOC. She suggests that maybe the Rotter scale was not the most suitable measure of LOC with regard to eating habits.
• The sample and sampling method may have also affected the results. Memory and honesty of the answers may have affected crucial variables of age of onset and weight loss

Evaluation:

• Sample:

Advantage: Large sample-big target population, representational and covers a range of social class's
Disadvantage: Gender bias (104 females), ethnocentric because different cultures=different beliefs and a typical because general internal people would be more likely to take the survey-being 40 more experience.

• Validity:

advantage: good face validity and collecting the data direct from P's.
Disadvantage: Social desirability bias- touchy subject so more likely to lie to look better, forced choice questions-may not agree with the answers given, temporal validity, and some P's took it home with them so different answers could occur

• Reliability:

Advantage: questionnaires were standardised, tested for reliability, tested on some measurement tools
Disadvantage: some took the questionnaires home with them.

• Usefulness:

Advantage: tested on a specific health behaviour and LOC so can  have direct impact
Disadvantage: no qualitive data and no cause and effect