Army Locus of Control Scale (Army-LOC)

Abstract

The Army Locus of Control Scale (Army-LOC) is a specialized psychological instrument designed to assess how U.S. Army Aviators attribute the causes of aviation accidents and safety outcomes. Developed specifically for military flight personnel, this scale measures an individual’s orientation toward internal control (belief in one’s own skill and effort) versus external control (reliance on luck, fate, or environmental factors) concerning aviation safety events. The instrument is critical for identifying hazardous attitudes and informing targeted safety training within high-risk operational environments.

Keywords

Locus of Control, Army Aviators, Aviation Safety, Internality, Externality, Accident Causality, Pilot Psychology, Risk Perception, Fate, Resignation

Authors

David R. Hunter, John E. Stewart

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Army-LOC scale is to quantify the extent to which Army aviators perceive themselves as being in control of their own safety outcomes, particularly regarding accidents and incidents during flight missions. Understanding a pilot’s Locus of Control is crucial, as it directly influences decision-making, adherence to safety procedures, and overall risk tolerance. The scale assists military psychological researchers and safety officers in predicting behavioral tendencies related to accident risk.

By differentiating between pilots who hold an internal orientation (believing outcomes stem from their actions, skill, and carefulness) and those with an external orientation (believing outcomes are determined by external forces like luck, fate, or the mistakes of others), the Army-LOC provides actionable data for developing effective crew resource management and accident prevention strategies.

Construct

The Army-LOC scale measures the psychological construct of Locus of Control (LOC), originally theorized by Julian Rotter. This construct refers to the degree to which individuals believe they have control over the outcomes of events in their lives, specifically adapted here to the context of aviation safety. The scale is multidimensional, assessing several related factors:

• Internality: Measures the belief that safety and success are contingent upon the aviator’s personal effort, skill, carefulness, and adherence to procedures.
• Externality: Measures the belief that safety outcomes are determined by factors outside the aviator’s personal control, such as environmental conditions, bad luck, or the actions of others.
• Specific components such as Accident Causality, Fate, and Resignation further delineate the external attributions common among pilots regarding high-risk situations.

Validity

While specific statistical measures of criterion or predictive validity are detailed in the associated technical reports, the strong internal consistency and clear factor structure support the scale’s construct validity. The development process involved tailoring items specifically to the language and operational environment of military aviation, ensuring face validity for the target population. The scale’s ability to separate distinct components—such as Luck versus Internality—suggests it successfully measures different facets of attribution relevant to safety behaviors.

Reliability

The Army-LOC demonstrates strong reliability across its major subscales and components, as indicated by Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients reported in the source material. High alpha values suggest that the items within each component consistently measure the intended concept:

• The overall 15-item Internality Scale achieved an Alpha coefficient of 0.83.
• The overall 15-item Externality Scale achieved a higher Alpha coefficient of 0.92.

Reliability of the individual components derived from the factor analysis:

• Luck: 0.89
• Externality: 0.87
• Internality: 0.85
• Accident Causality: 0.82
• Fate: 0.81
• Resignation: 0.60

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Army-LOC items revealed a robust six-component structure, confirming the multidimensional nature of Locus of Control as applied to aviation safety. These components delineate specific attributions for safety outcomes:

1. Luck: Measures the belief that outcomes, both positive and negative, are primarily determined by chance or fortune.
2. Externality: Reflects a general belief that events are controlled by external, non-personal forces, including environmental factors or other people.
3. Internality: Represents the conviction that personal actions, decisions, and abilities are the primary determinants of safety and success.
4. Accident Causality: Focuses specifically on the attribution of accidents to factors controllable by the aviator (e.g., carelessness or lack of effort).
5. Fate (Destiny): Measures fatalistic beliefs, such as the idea that one’s time to die is predetermined, rendering personal effort irrelevant in major safety events.
6. Resignation: Reflects a generalized hopelessness or acceptance that accidents are inevitable, regardless of preventative efforts.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric scale

Format: Likert-type scale with five response options (a. Strongly Agree, b. Agree, c. Neither agree nor disagree, d. Disagree, e. Strongly Disagree)

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Military Aviators / Pilots

Age Group: Adult (Specific age range not provided, but typically active military personnel)

Population Details: Primarily U.S. Army Aviators, though research suggests applicability to general aviation pilots as well.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement with statements related to their perceived control over flight safety outcomes and success.

Keywords

Aviation psychology, Pilot assessment, Safety culture, Military testing, Internality, Externality, Causal attribution, Risk tolerance, Flight safety

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material (Likely affiliated with the United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences at the time of publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale and related research were developed under the auspices of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI). The foundational research for the scale’s development was published in 2002. The instrument is generally considered part of the public domain through its release as a technical report. The full instrument and associated documentation are publicly accessible via the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). The original report can be accessed via the link: www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA509824.

Reference’s

• Hunter, D. R., & Stewart, J. E. (2009). Locus of Control, Risk Orientation, and Decision Making Among U.S. Army Aviators. United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.
• Hunter, D. R. (2006). Risk perception among general aviation pilots. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 16, 135-144.
• Hunter, D. R. (2004). Measurement of hazardous attitudes among pilots. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 15, 23-43.
• Hunter, D. R. (2002). Risk perception and risk tolerance in aircraft pilots (Report DOT/FAA/AM–02/17). Washington, DC: Federal Aviation Administration.
• Hunter, D. R. (2002). Development of an aviation safety locus of control scale. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 73, 1184-1188.
• Hunter, D. R. (1995). Airman research questionnaire: Methodology and overall results. DOT/FAA/AM-95/27. Washington, DC: Federal Aviation Administration.

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Items of the Army Locus of Control Scale (Army- LOC)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Internality Scale Items

1. If I take the right actions‚ I can avoid accidents.
2. If I have an accident‚ It’s because I was not careful enough.
3. If I have a close call‚ it just means I have to work harder next time.
4. Safety is due to effort‚ not Luck
5. If I take care of myself‚ I can avoid accidents
6. It is my ability and determination that will determine whether I am in an accident.
7. Most accidents that result in injuries are largely preventable
8. I am in control of my life
9. I believe I have control over my own destiny
10. You are responsible for the things that happen to you in your life
11. There are no problems that cannot be overcome with enough effort
12. The main thing that affects my safety is what I myself do
13. If Aviators follow all the rules and regulations‚ they can avoid many aviation accidents.
14. Most accidents and incidents can be avoided if Aviators use proper procedures.
15. There is a direct connection between how careful Aviators are and the number of accidents they have

Externality Scale Items

1. Whether or not I get into an accident is mostly a matter of Luck.
2. Luck plays a big part in determining whether you will be in an accident.
3. If something is meant to happen there is nothing you can do to change it.
4. In flying‚ what will be‚ will be.
5. In a tight situation‚ I trust to fate.
6. Sometimes you just have to depend on Luck to get you through.
7. Chance has a lot to do with avoiding accidents.
8. Bad Luck is what gets many pilots into trouble.
9. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time is what causes accidents.
10. My success is mainly a matter of chance.
11. No matter what I do‚ I’m likely to have an accident
12. A person’s destiny determines what happens to them
13. Successful flying is partly a matter of good Luck.
14. Much of the time when I am successful‚ it is because I am Lucky.
15. My success in aviation is largely a matter of good fortune.

Component 1 Luck

1. Successful flying is partly a matter of good luck
2. Sometimes you just have to depend on luck to get you through
3. I do not really believe in luck
4. If I had an accident‚ it would be the result of bad luck
5. Chance has a lot to do with avoiding accidents
6. Whether or not I get into an accident is mostly a matter of luck
7. Luck plays a big part in determining whether you will be in an accident
8. I am superstitious
9. Much of the time when I am successful‚ it is because I am lucky
10. The idea that luck determines what happens to you is ridiculous
11. I’d rather be lucky than good
12. At some point a person must accept the inevitable and face their fate calmly
13. A person’s destiny determines what happens to them
14. Bad luck is what gets many pilots into trouble
15. My success is mainly a matter of chance

Component 2 Externality

1. Most of the time accidents are caused by things beyond the Aviator’s control
2. No matter what I do‚ I’m likely to have an accident
3. My success in aviation is largely a matter of good fortune
4. Whether or not I get into an accident is mostly a matter of luck
5. Most injuries are caused by accidental happenings outside people’s control
6. Avoiding accidents is a matter of luck
7. Bad luck is what gets many pilots into trouble
8. Most accidents are unavoidable
9. Whether or not I get into an accident depends mostly on other people
10. Most accidents and injuries cannot be avoided
11. No matter what I do‚ if I am going to have an accident‚ I will have an accident
12. Aviators can do very little to avoid minor incidents while flying their missions
13. Whether or not I get into an accident depends mostly on things that I cannot control‚ like the weather
14. Whether people get injured or not is a matter of fate‚ chance‚ or luck
15. Regarding safety‚ I can only do what the Army tells me to do

Component 3 Internality

1. I am in control of my life
2. I believe I have control over my own destiny
3. If I get in a difficult situation‚ it is my own behavior that determines if I make it out OK
4. If I get what I want‚ it is because I worked for it
5. If I take care of myself‚ I can avoid accidents
6. I feel completely in control‚ all the time
7. You are responsible for the things that happen to you in your life
8. If I try hard enough‚ I can get out of any situation
9. If I take the right actions‚ I can avoid accidents
10. Getting regular training and practice is the best way for me to avoid an accident
11. I am careful to check everything on the aircraft before I depart on a mission
12. It is my ability and determination that will determine whether I am in an accident
13. When I make a mistake‚ I am to blame
14. If I have a close call‚ it just means I have to work harder next time
15. Safety is due to effort‚ not luck

Component 4 – Accident Causality

1. Most accidents are due to Aviators’ carelessness
2. If I have an accident‚ It’s because I was not careful enough
3. Accidents and injuries occur because Aviators do not take enough interest in safety
4. Aviators’ accidents and injuries result from the mistakes they make
5. If I have an accident‚ it’s because I didn’t try hard enough
6. Most accidents that result in injuries are largely preventable
7. Accidents could be eliminated‚ if pilots made more of an effort
8. There is a direct connection between how careful Aviators are and the number of accidents they have

Component 5 – Destiny

1. I’ll die when it’s my time to go‚ but not before
2. You don’t go until your number is up
3. I feel that there is some higher power looking out for me
4. A person’s destiny determines what happens to them
5. If something is meant to happen there is nothing you can do to change it
6. In flying‚ what will be‚ will be
7. In a tight situation‚ I trust to fate
8. At some point a person must accept the inevitable and face their fate calmly
9. If you keep your wits about you‚ success is always possible

Component 6 – Resignation

1. No matter how hard Aviators try to prevent them‚ there will always be accidents
2. If I try hard enough‚ I can get out of any situation
3. There are so many dangers in this world that you never know how or when you might be in an accident
4. There are no problems that cannot be overcome with enough effort
5. Aviators should be punished if they have an accident or incident while “horsing around
6. Aviators should be reprimanded if they periodically neglect to use safety devices (for example‚ seat belts‚ checklists‚ etc.) that are required by Army Regulations
7. Sometimes you get the bear‚ sometimes the bear gets you
8. Most Aviators will be involved in accidents or incidents which result in aircraft damage or personal injury
9. Stuff just happens