It may be argued that the theoretical implications and behavioral manifestations of these three personality traits allow for specific predictions about possible correlations between them, and the research presented in this laboratory exercise is designed to explore these theoretical relationships. Twenty-two Junior and Senior college students completed an automated MEL presentation using abbreviated measures of the three personality traits. Many psychological experiments and studies are designed to discover the shared attributes of humans, the aspects of psychological functioning people have in common. A second tradition in psychology is the study of individual differences. Experiments of this nature are designed to discover how people differ in their psychological functioning.
Personality tests are one such measure of individual differences.
Locus of control, social desirability, and self-esteem are three personality traits which have been the topic of personality studies for years. Individuals with an internal LOC credit themselves for the rewards they receive. Individuals with an external LOC credit forces outside of themselves, such as fate or other individuals, as being responsible for the rewards they receive. Participants must decide which of two statements they most associate themselves with. The 11 items on Valecha's scale are a subset of Rotter's original scale.