Skill versus Chance Tasks
The value placed on success in achievement situations by internals and congruent (CE) and defensive (DE) externals was investigated in tasks defined as either skill-or chance-determined. Internals and DEs persisted longer on the skill task than CDs, while both external groups worked longer on the chance task than internals. Across task conditions, internaLs and DEs persisted longer in the skill than chance task, while CEs did not dffer. These results support the utility of the CE-DE distinction, and suggest that DEs behave similarly to internals in skill-based achievement situations, while externality for CEs is more representative of a veridical set of external control beliefs.