ETHICAL RISK-TAKING AND SOCIOPATHY IN INCARCERATED FEMALES

• NCJ Number: 49108
• Journal: CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: (JANUARY 1971) Pages: 138-152
• Author(s): J P STEFANOWICZ; T E HANNUM
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIRTY-EIGHT FEMALE INMATES WERE STUDIED IN AN EFFORT TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RISK-TAKING AND INDICES OF SOCIOPATHY.

Abstract

SOCIOPATHY RATINGS WERE DETERMINED BY STAFF PSYCHOLOGISTS WORKING WITH THE INMATES AND BY SCORES ON FOUR SCALES OF THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INDEX. TO ASSESS ETHICAL RISK-TAKING, AN INSTRUMENT WHICH PRESENTS A HYPOTHETICAL RISK-TAKING SITUATION IN WHICH HIGH AND LOW VALUES OF REINFORCEMENT VALUE OF GAIN, EXPECTANCY OF GAIN, EXPECTANCY OF CENSURE, AND REINFORCEMENT VALUE OF CENSURE WAS APPLIED TO A THEFT SITUATION. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THOSE WITH HIGH SOCIOPATHIC TENDENCIES WOULD EMPLOY AN OFFENSIVE STRATEGY ORIENTED TOWARD MAXIMIZATION OF GAIN, WHILE THOSE WITH LOW SOCIOPATHIC TENDENCIES WOULD EMPHASIZE A MORE DEFENSIVE STRATEGY OF AVOIDANCE OF CENSURE. BOTH CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS AND AN ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WERE PERFORMED, INDICATING THE ABSENCE OF A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR SOCIOPATHY UPON BOTH THE TOTAL RISK-TAKING SCORES AND THE SCORES OF THE INDIVIDUAL DETERMINANTS. ALTHOUGH A CORRELATION BETWEEN SOCIOPATHY RATINGS AND TOTAL RISK-TAKING WAS SIGNIFICANT AT THE .05 LEVEL, NONE OF THE OTHER SOCIOPATHIC INDICATORS SHOWED STATISTICAL CORRELATIONS WITH RISK-TAKING. FURTHERMORE, EACH SERIES OF ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE REVEALED A DISTINCT LACK OF EFFECT DUE TO THE LEVEL OF SOCIOPATHY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN SOCIOPATHIC LEVEL AND REINFORCEMENT OF GAIN. HOWEVER, IN THE ABSENCE OF A MAIN EFFECT, THERE IS MEAGER EVIDENCE THAT HIGH AND LOW SOCIOPATHIC SUBJECT GROUPS WERE DIFFERENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE DETERMINANTS OF RISK-TAKING. ALL SUBJECTS TENDED TO PREDICT GREATER OCCURRENCE OF UNETHICAL (CRIMINAL) BEHAVIOR WHEN THE GAIN AND EXPECTANCY OF GAIN WERE HIGH AND THE EXPECTANCY AND SEVERITY OF CENSURE WERE LOW. THUS IT APPEARS THAT THE MAJOR CONSIDERATION AFFECTING JUDGEMENTS OF UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR IN THIS POPULATION WAS THE MAXIMIZATION OF GAIN, NOT THE AVOIDANCE OF CENSURE. RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED AS THEY RELATE TO STUDIES OF ETHICAL RISK-TAKING AND TO POSSIBLE FACTORS AFFECTING RESULTS IN AN INMATE POPULATION. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)