Correction to “Getting to the core of locus of control: Is it an evaluation of the self or the environment?” by Johnson et al. (2015).

Reports an error in "Getting to the core of locus of control: Is it an evaluation of the self or the environment" by Russell E. Johnson, Christopher C. Rosen, Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang and Szu-Han (Joanna) Lin (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2015Sep, Vol 1005, 1568-1578; see record 2015-05390-001). In the article, numerous root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) values were incorrectly reported. The authors no longer have access to the data to verify against the original output but confirmed that corrections were required after manual recalculations. These errors affect several conclusions reached and indicate the need to temper some of the specific conclusions reached in the discussion section. The corrected RMSEA values are present in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2015-05390-001). Responding to criticisms surrounding the structural validity of the higher order core self-evaluations (CSE) construct, in the current study we examined the appropriateness of including locus of control as an indicator of CSE. Drawing from both theoretical and empirical evidence, we argue that locus of control is more heavily influenced by evaluations of the environment compared with the other CSE traits. Using data from 4 samples, we demonstrate that model fit for the higher order CSE construct is better when locus of control is excluded versus included as a trait indicator and that the shared variance between locus of control and CSE is nominal. This does not mean that locus of control is irrelevant for CSE theory though. We propose that evaluations of the environment moderate the relations that CSE has with its outcomes. To test this proposition, we collected data from 4 unique samples that included a mix of student and employee participants, self- and other-ratings, and cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Our results revealed that locus of control moderated relations of CSE with life and job satisfaction, and supervisor-rated job performance. CSE had stronger, positive relations with these outcomes when locus of control is internal versus external. These findings broaden CSE theory by demonstrating one way in which evaluations of the environment interface with evaluations of the self. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).