Estimating the effect of gang membership on nonviolent and violent delinquency: a counterfactual analysis

This study reconsiders the well‐known link between gang membership and criminal involvement. Recently developed analytical techniques enabled the approximation of an experimental design to determine whether gang members, after being matched with similarly situated nongang members, exhibited greater involvement in nonviolent and violent delinquency. Findings indicated that while gang membership is a function of self‐selection, selection effects alone do not account for the greater involvement in delinquency exhibited by gang members. After propensity score matching was employed, gang members maintained a greater involvement in both nonviolent and violent delinquency when measured cross‐sectionally, but only violent delinquency when measured longitudinally. Additional analyses using inverse probability of treatment weights reaffirmed these conclusions. Aggr. Behav. 36:437–451, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Juvenile deliquency in an Austrian sample of foster-children without a father substitute: review of the literature and some findings

‘SOS-Kinderdorf’ is a worldwide organization who offer new homes to children abandoned by their parents. Children live in family-like groups, headed by a ‘mother’, imitating natural family life as closely as possible. They lack ‘father’, however, which has been a frequent point of criticism with regard to empirical results on father absence. Some of these results are discussed and reviewed critically. Criminological studies have ascribed forms of juvenile delinquency to the childhood absence of a male model. It could be shown, however, that such results vary considerably depending mainly on the reason for father absence. It is doubted, therefore that generalizations may be made for SOS-Kinderdorf's type of one-parent family. Empirical results about juvenile delinquency in a sample of 163 male and female 14- to 18-yr-old former members of SOS-Kinderdorf families are reported, ‘observed’ over a 4-yr period and compared with data on juvenile delinquency for the same area and period of time. The former children from SOS-Kinderdorf are significantly less frequently delinquent than the controls as long as they stay in the institution but they show the reverse pattern after leaving.     

Peers,Parents, and Proactive Criminal Thinking: Comparing Additive and Interactive Effects in Mid- to Late-Adolescents

The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1. determine whether friend delinquency but not parental criminality predicted proactive criminal thinking; 2. ascertain whether the effect of friend delinquency and parental knowledge of their child’s friends on proactive criminal thinking was additive or interactive. Participants were 885 (421 males, 464 females) juvenile members of the Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey. Consistent with the first hypothesis, friend delinquency but not parental criminality predicted proactive criminal thinking whereas neither variable predicted reactive criminal thinking. Partially congruent with the second hypothesis, friend delinquency and parental knowledge but not their interaction predicted proactive criminal thinking.     

Anger rumination: an antecedent of athlete aggression?

Objectives. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between anger rumination (the propensity to think almost obsessively over past experiences that have provoked negative affect in the form of anger) and athlete aggression. It was predicted that high levels of anger rumination would be associated with an increased propensity to aggress.Method. A questionnaire comprising the Anger Rumination Scale (Sukhodolsky, Golub, & Cromwell, 2001), aggression and demographic questions was distributed to 305 male and female competitive athletes of varying ability who represented several team and individual sports.Results. Principal component factor analysis revealed a single rumination factor rather than the four-factor solution previously described. No differences in Anger Rumination Scale score were found between males and females, team and individual sport players or competitive level. Provocation and anger rumination were significantly correlated with athletes’ reported aggressive behaviour. Aggression was higher in males compared to females. Type of sport was also related to incidence of aggression; athletes who participated in individual sports reported lower levels of aggression than athletes who played team sports.Conclusions. It was concluded that provocation and anger rumination were significant predictors of subsequent aggression and suggestions for preventing rumination, such as thought stopping and thought switching, were made.     

Does Criminal Propensity Moderate the Effects of Social Learning Theory Variables on Intimate Partner Violence?

Akers’ Social Learning Theory (SLT) is one of the predominant general theories of criminal behavior; it has been widely tested and is typically supported. Despite being a validated general theory, it is possible there are other factors such as criminal propensity that influence the effects of social learning constructs. This study examines the extent, if any, to which crime-specific operationalizations of SLT exert equivalent effects on a specific type of offense—intimate partner violence (IPV) (both perpetration and victimization)—across level of criminal propensity. Using self-report data on intimate partner violence among university students and specifically designed to test SLT, the results indicate that (1) the effects of differential associations and differential reinforcements exerted consistent effects across the various measures of IPV, (2) the effects of definitions and imitation are much less consistent, and, most importantly (3) the effects of SLT constructs on IPV were moderated by criminal propensity. These results suggest that SLT may be less general than claimed; that is, the effects of SLT vary both across measures of IPV and across levels of criminal propensity.     

Sex and Age Differences in the Risk Threshold for Delinquency

This study examines sex differences in the risk threshold for adolescent delinquency. Analyses were based on longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study (n?=?503) and the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n?=?856). The study identified risk factors, promotive factors, and accumulated levels of risks as predictors of delinquency and nondelinquency, respectively. The risk thresholds for boys and girls were established at two developmental stages (late childhood: ages 10–12 years, and adolescence: ages 13–16 years) and compared between boys and girls. Sex similarities as well as differences existed in risk and promotive factors for delinquency. ROC analyses revealed only small sex differences in delinquency thresholds, that varied by age. Accumulative risk level had a linear relationship with boys’ delinquency and a quadratic relationship with girls’ delinquency, indicating stronger effects for girls at higher levels of risk.     

Evidence for a general factor of behavioral activation system sensitivity

Individual differences in one’s propensity to engage the behavioral activation system (BAS) and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) have primarily been studied with Caver and White’s (1994) BIS/BAS scale. Whereas, Carver and White identified the BIS as a unidimensional scale, they identified three separable BAS group factors - drive, fun seeking, and reward responsiveness -which Carver urged against combining into a BAS total score. Despite this, a BAS total score has been used extensively although researchers have yet to test whether a BAS general factor exists and, if so, whether a BAS total score can be interpreted as primarily being a measure of the general factor. The current study observed that the best fitting BAS factor model of those we tested was a hierarchical model with three group facets and a general factor. This model was largely invariant across both sex and race/ethnicity. We show, for the first time, that a general factor accounts for the majority of the variance in BAS total scores. Due to the superior fit of the hierarchical model and variance accounted for by the general factor, we conclude that researchers are psychometrically justified in using a BAS total score.     

Attribution of blame for criminal acts and its relationship with personality

This paper examines the relationship between some personality variables and attribution of blame by offenders for their criminal activity. A specially-designed ‘Blame Attribution Inventory’ was constructed and administered to 224 Ss who had committed ‘serious’ criminal acts. Factor analysis of the items revealed 3 independent factors: (1) ‘External’ Attribution (i.e. blaming the crime on social circumstances, victims, society); (2) ‘Mental-Element’ Attribution (i.e. blaming responsibility for the crime on mental illness, poor self-control, distorted perception); (3) ‘Guilt-Feeling’ Attribution (i.e. feelings of remorse, regrets, need for punishment). The inventory was administered to 40 offender patients who had completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Gough Socialization Scale (GSS) and the Beck Depression Inventory. External Attribution had significant correlation with the EPQ P scale, Mental-Element Attribution correlated significantly with the EPQ L scale and the GSS. Guilt-Feeling Attribution was associated with depression and neuroticism.     

An exploratory study of delinquency, criminal offenses, and juvenile status offenses via the cross-validation design

This article reports the results of an exploratory study of thirty variables that may have an effect on delinquency, criminal offenses, and juvenile status offenses. The study is based on secondary data, and the split-sample cross-validation procedure is used for analysis. Prediction equations were generated in Sample 1; Sample 2 was used for validation. In Sample 1, seven significant predictors of delinquency were found, five for criminal offenses, and five for juvenile status offenses. When these prediction equations were subjected to validation in Sample 2, the number of significant predictors was reduced from seven to four for delinquency, from five to four for criminal offenses, and from five to three for juvenile status offenses. The researchers interpreted these findings within the framework of the cross-validation procedure.     

Youth gang affiliation,violence, and criminal activities: A review of motivational,risk, and protective factors

Youth gangs are a universal phenomenon attracting increasing attention; the criminal and antisocial behavior perpetuated by youth gangs has an adverse impact on local communities across the globe. Although there is an extensive body of research that has examined the problems posed by youth gangs in America (and more recently in other countries), there have been relatively fewer empirical studies that examined the factors and psychological processes that are related to youth joining and leaving gangs. This review compiles the international research on the nature of youth gangs and critically evaluates: (a) the factors that motivate engagement in and desistance from gang-related activities, (b) risk and protective factors that impact on youths' propensity for gang membership, delinquency, and violent behavior, and the adverse consequences associated with gang affiliation, and (c) the relationship between gang-affiliation, youth violence, and criminal behavior.     

Effect of Child Gender on the Bidirectional Relationships between Parental Monitoring and Delinquent Behavior

This study examined the effect of child gender on the bidirectional relationships between perceived parental monitoring and self-reported delinquent behaviors from childhood to adolescence, using data from the Korean Youth Panel Study. In this longitudinal study, different age cohorts for childhood (ages 9–12; N?=?2283) and adolescence (ages 13–16; N?=?2722) were analyzed. The findings from cross-lagged path analyses showed that the parent–child relationships differed for boys and girls. For girls, delinquency had a stronger effect on parental monitoring in childhood, whereas parental monitoring had a stronger effect on delinquency in the childhood–adolescence transition and adolescence. Boy’s delinquency similarly had a stronger effect in childhood. Parental monitoring, however, did not affect boy’s delinquency at any age. This study highlights the importance of considering gender when developing interventions to support families with delinquent children and adolescents.     

A Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in a Community Sample of Young Adult Males

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been shown to delineate a subgroup of individuals at high risk for exhibiting severe and persistent criminal behavior. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; Frick 2004) was recently developed as a comprehensive rating scale designed to measure multiple facets of CU traits. However, validation of this measure has been limited to youth in adolescence and emerging adulthood (age range?=12–20), leaving questions about the utility of this measure in early adulthood unanswered. The current study evaluated the factor structure of the ICU within a racially diverse and well characterized community sample of adult males (n?=?425) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). While results found the best fitting model to be the three-bifactor structure that has been previously reported in adolescent samples, the fit indices were only marginally acceptable and suggest the need for scale refinement. Total and subscales scores demonstrated significant and distinct associations with relevant external criteria (e.g., delinquency, psychopathy, psychopathology, psychosocial functioning). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Smoking and Childhood Behavioural Problems: A Quasi-experimental Approach

This retrospective cross-sectional paper examines the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and children’s behavioural problems at 9?years of age independent of a wide range of possible confounders. The final sample comprised 7,505 nine-year-old school children participating in the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland study. The children were selected through the Irish national school system using a 2-stage sampling method and were representative of the nine-year population. Information on maternal smoking during pregnancy was obtained retrospectively at 9?years of age via parental recall and children’s behavioural problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire across separate parent and teacher-report instruments. A quasi-experimental approach using propensity score matching was used to create treatment (smoking) and control (non-smoking) groups which did not differ significantly in their propensity to smoke in terms of 16 observed characteristics. After matching on the propensity score, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 3.5?% (p?<?0.001) and 3.4?% (p?<?0.001) more likely to score in the problematic range on the SDQ total difficulties index according to parent and teacher-report respectively. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was more strongly associated with externalising than internalising behavioural problems. Analysis of the dose–response relationship showed that the differential between matched treatment and control groups increased with level of maternal smoking. Given that smoking is a modifiable risk factor, the promotion of successful cessation in pregnancy may prevent potentially adverse long-term consequences.     

Predictors of multitasking performance in a synthetic work paradigm

This study investigated determinants of success in a ‘synthetic work’ task designed to reflect the requirement for multitasking that is common to many occupations. Participants were administered tests of working memory capacity (WMC) and processing speed (PS), and they reported experience with videogames, a type of activity presumed to involve multitasking. Results revealed that WMC was a strong predictor of multitasking in a ‘non‐emergency’ condition when the pace of the tasks was relatively slow, whereas PS was a weaker predictor. Additionally, there was evidence for the incremental validity of videogame experience (VGE), consistent with the possibility that multitasking is supported by a general, trainable skill. Finally, individual differences in strategy use accounted for a large proportion of the variance in multitasking, above and beyond other predictor variables, and WMC predicted use of an effective strategy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microaggressions Are a Form of Aggression

Most efforts to understand microaggressions have examined affected group members, but little work has been done to understand the motivations and characteristics of offenders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether microaggressions are best conceptualized as a form of aggression, as per common definitions advanced in social psychology, by examining correlations between propensity to commit microaggressions and aggressive tendencies. This cross-sectional study was conducted using MTurk Prime to survey a sample of White and Black adults across the United States (N = 610). Measures administered included the Cultural Cognitions and Actions Scale (CCAS) to assess the likelihood of committing microaggressions, Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), Inventory of Hostility and Suspicious Thinking (IHS), Overt–Covert Aggression Inventory (OCAI), and the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule (PANAS). The CCAS was found to be highly and significantly positively correlated with all three measures of aggression. There was a significant negative correlation between Black participants’ ratings of microaggressive interactions being racist and White participants’ likelihood of engaging in those same interactions. There was a significant positive correlation between negative affectivity and the propensity of White participants to commit microaggressions. In a regression predicting microaggressive propensity from aggressive tendencies, the BPAQ was highly significant, whereas negative affectivity was not. Findings indicate that microaggressions represent aggression and hostility on the part of offenders and a form of aggressive behavior that is generally socially unacceptable. Future research should explore the relationship between the many forms of microaggressions and aggression among different groups.     

Gender Differences in Covert Fidelity Management among Dating Individuals in China

This study examined gender differences in covert fidelity management among dating individuals in China. Fidelity management refers to tactics and behaviors people use to monitor their partners’ fidelity. Two hundred and thirty two young adults (18–26?years old, M?=?23.44, SD?=?1.93) primarily from the cities of Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, and Guangzhou in mainland China completed a questionnaire designed to measure self-esteem, trust, peer influence, relationship satisfaction and covert fidelity management. Consistent with our hypothesis, women were found to engage in more covert fidelity management than men. Regression results revealed that for both women and men, trust and peer influence were significant predictors of covert fidelity management behavior. However, self-esteem was a significant predictor of men’s covert fidelity management, not women’s. Furthermore, covert fidelity management was found not related to women’s relationship satisfaction, but was significantly associated with men’s satisfaction in a negative direction. These findings have interesting implications for understanding romantic partners’ behaviors in infidelity-related situations.     

The relationship between commitment and exercise behavior

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between commitment and exercise behavior using the Sport Commitment Model (SCM; J Sport & Exercise Psychology, 15, 1) as a guiding conceptual framework.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Methods: Participants at two universities (N₁=205; 83.4% female; N₂=223; 73.1% female) provided demographic information and completed measures of exercise commitment and frequency of exercise behavior.Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the presence of 5 determinants (personal investments, social support, satisfaction, social constraints, and invovlement alternatives) and 2 dimensions (‘want’ and ‘have’) of commitment. Structural equation modeling analyses supported the predictive utility of the SCM accounting for 31% and 51% of the commitment dimension variance and 12% of the exercise behavior variance respectively. Satisfaction and personal investment predicted both commitment dimensions, whereas alternatives and social constraints predicted ‘have to’ commitment only, and the ‘want to’ commitment dimension was the only significant predictor of exercise behavior.Conclusion: These results render some support for the psychometric properties of the measures used to assess commitment constructs in the exercise domain and provide partial support for the application of the SCM to the study of exercise motivation issues.     

The family relations,peer relations,and criminal activities of Caucasian and Hispanic-American gang members

Juvenile gang members present serious problems to society, yet few empirical studies have examined their criminal activity, family relations, and peer relations in comparison with other highly antisocial youths. In a 2 (Gang Membership) × 2 (Ethnicity: Hispanic-American vs. Caucasian) design, 131 incarcerated male juvenile offenders were administered a battery assessing criminal activity, family relations, and peer relations. Results demonstrated (a) higher rates of criminal behavior (i.e., general delinquency, index offenses, school delinquency) among gang members than among offenders who did not belong to gangs, (b) higher rates of general delinquency and home delinquency among Caucasian offenders than among Hispanic-American offenders, and (c) greater aggression and less social maturity in the peer relations of gang members than in the peer relations of offenders who did not belong to gangs. In addition, gang membership mediated sociocultural differences in hard drug use. Findings are integrated with the extant literature.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance and advice of Dr. Michael Schumacher, the Honorable C. Robert Jameson, Gwen Kurz, Don Hallstrom, Jane Carmichael, and Drs. Malcolm Klein, Rae Newton, and James Madero.     

A mixed-methods examination of autonomous sensory meridian response: Comparison to frisson

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a pleasurable, head-oriented tingling sensation, typically induced by exposure to audiovisual triggers, producing feelings of relaxation and euphoria. This article explores the induction of ASMR experiences in a laboratory setting amongst non-specialised participants, as well as the relationship between ASMR and frisson, or ‘musical chills’. In previous work, the ASMR-15 was found to be a reliable measure of ASMR propensity, however, the predictive validity of the measure has yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to assess whether ASMR-15 scores predict greater ASMR induction in an experimental setting. To address this, N = 100 undergraduate psychology students completed the ASMR-15 and a measure of frisson, before viewing ASMR stimuli under controlled conditions. Mixed-methods analyses indicated the successful induction of ASMR amongst some participants, convergence between ASMR-15 scores and video ratings, as well as divergence between ASMR and frisson scores.