EFFECT OF AGE, SEX, AND TYPE OF FEEDBACK ON MOTOR-PERFORMANCE AND LOCUS OF CONTROL

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of consistent positive and negative feedback on motor performance and a shift in locus of control. Comparisons of the data were made on the basis of age, sex, type of feedback, and internal-external (I-E) disposition. Extreme internal and external participants were offered positive or negative feedback on a rotary pursuit motor task over 20 trials, twice per week, for 6 weeks (a total of 240 trials). The results were as follows: (a) all eighth-grade (13-year-old) subjects displayed superior motor skill performance as compared to fifth-grade (10-year-old) students; (b) subjects across age groups who received positive feedback performed better than subjects given negative feedback; (c) a significant locus of control by feedback interaction indicated that high internals were superior to high externals under positive feedback conditions but that negative feedback produced inferior performance by internals compared to heightened performance by externals; (d) older subjects were more internal than younger subjects based on locus of control questionnaire data both prior to and immediately following the 6-week experiment; and (e) neither age group demonstrated a significant shift in locus of control in response to both the positive and negative feedback conditions. © 1979 Taylor 8 Francis Group, LLC.