Social learning and clinical psychology. Langer, E. J. The unbearable automaticity of being. Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. noun. Informal social control involves conformity to the norms and values of society as well as adoption of a belief system learned through the process of socialization. 1. control, authority, or impact on incidences, behaviors, circumstances, or individuals. (1975). See more. Control Condition Definition. 1. control, authority, or impact on incidences, behaviors, circumstances, or individuals. Log in. 2. the management of all external circumstances and factors in an experiment so that any modification in the dependent variable can be credited exclusively to alteration of the independent variable. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Personal causation: The internal affective determinants of behavior. Self-control serves as an executive function necessary for individual goal attainment. Log in. The control condition in an experimental design lacks any treatment or manipulation of the independent variable. Self-control—or the ability to manage one's impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals—is what separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. Bargh, J. This form of social control is enforced by family members and primary caregivers, teachers, coaches peers, and colleagues. Bandura, A. Social control is learning psychology and “refers to an individual’s skills in engaging the social environment in ways that help to support and reinforce his or her learning activities.” Social control can be influenced by several factors including the control that society places on individual actions and behaviors as well as the control an individual can exert over their own behaviors in public. The illusion of control. Rotter, J. CONTROL: "Parents should expect to maintain full control over their children's lives until the latter teenage years. American Psychologist, 44, 1175-1184. People assigned to the control group serve as the basis of comparison for the people in the experimental condition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. The definition of social control has changed over time to include the social control groups of people have in addition to individuals. 3. any tool used to operate or control a piece of equipment. New York: Academic Press. (1989). (1954). Control group definition, (in an experiment or clinical trial) a group of subjects closely resembling the treatment group in many demographic variables but not receiving the active medication or factor under study and thereby serving as a comparison group when treatment results are evaluated. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311-329. It is a cognitive process, one that is present fo… Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268. Psychology Definition of CONTROL: noun. Effective self-control has been linked to success in academics and occupations, as well as social wellness.