Response preference within the Rotter I-E Scale: perceived locus of control of self, average, and ideal others

The Rotter I-E scale was administered to college juniors in education under five different instructional sets. Subjects were asked to complete it (a) as they would ordinarily (self-perception), (b) as they believed an average person of the same sex would, (c) as an average person of the opposite sex would, (d) as an ideal person of the same sex would, and (e) as an ideal person of the opposite sex would. As hypothesized, subjects saw the ideal person of both sexes as significantly more internal than themselves, while they saw the average person of both sexes as more external than themselves. These results suggest the general desirability of being perceived as internally oriented.