IQ and delinquency: A test of two competing explanations
In the past, sociologists either dismissed or ignored the well-established empirical relationship between IQ and juvenile delinquency. More recently, however, they have come to accept the IQ/JD connection but now debate the most valid explanation for it. Some have advanced what we characterized as a...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1994
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| In: |
Journal of quantitative criminology
Year: 1994, Volume: 10, Issue: 3, Pages: 189-212 |
| Online Access: |
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| Summary: | In the past, sociologists either dismissed or ignored the well-established empirical relationship between IQ and juvenile delinquency. More recently, however, they have come to accept the IQ/JD connection but now debate the most valid explanation for it. Some have advanced what we characterized as a “school performance” model, while others adhere to what may be called a “school reaction” model. The major bone of contention between the competing models is over the school variables thought to mediate the IQ/JD relationship. In this study, we specified the most dominant versions of the competing models as well as a model integrating the concepts of each. Using three waves of data from the Youth in Transition project, we first estimated parameters for each of the competing models and then parameters for the integrated model. Considered independently, each model was supported by the data. However, when each of the separate models was forced to take into account the explanatory contribution of its competitor, only the school performance model was supported. Implications of the findings for schooling and delinquency are discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-7799 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/BF02221210 |