INTELLIGENCE AND DELINQUENCY - A RECONSIDERATION

• NCJ Number: 56545
• Journal: Journal of Social Psychology Volume: 60 Dated: (1963) Pages: 327-337
• Author(s): N M PRENTICE; F J KELLY
• Date Published: 1963
• Length: 11 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Massachusetts Dept of Youth Services
• Corporate Author: Journal Press
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE CONCLUSION OF A 1919 STUDY THAT NO DEFINITE RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN CRIMINALITY AND LOW INTELLIGENCE IS REEXAMINED USING INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ) SCORES OBTAINED FROM WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALES.

Abstract

A SUBSIDIARY FOCUS OF THE REPORT IS AN ASSESSMENT OF THE DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY OF WECHSLER'S ASSUMPTION THAT THE TEST PERFORMANCE OF THE DELINQUENT IS DIFFERENTIATED BY A PERFORMANCE PERCEPTUAL-MOTOR TASKS SCALE SCORE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE VERBAL SCALE SCORE. THE STUDY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM DELINQUENTS COMMITTED TO THE MASSACHUSETTS YOUTH SERVICE BOARD FROM 1958 TO 1959 AND INCLUDED 699 BOYS AND 227 GIRLS. OFFENSES INCLUDED BREAKING AND ENTERING, MOTOR VEHICLE VIOLATIONS, LARCENY, SEX OFFENSES, ROBBERY, ASSAULT, AND SOME STATUS OFFENSES. THE FEMALE SUBJECTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE COMMITTED DUE TO STUBBORNNESS AND INVOLVEMENT IN A VARIETY OF DELINQUENT ACTS. MEAN SCORES ON THE WECHSLER SCALE SUBSTANTIATE THE CONCLUSION OF THE 1919 STUDY. IN THE PERFORMANCE SCALE, THE SAMPLE FALLS WITHIN THE LOWER NORMAL RANGE (95.2). THE VERBAL IQ MEAN FOR THE SAMPLE WAS 87.9, WITHIN THE DULL NORMAL RANGE. THE LOW SCORES MAY BE DUE IN PART TO THE FACT THAT THE WECHSLER PERFORMANCE SCALE WAS STANDARDIZED FOR WHITE AMERICANS AND A LARGE PART OF THE SAMPLE WAS BLACK. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WECHSLER'S CONTENTION THAT HIGHER PERFORMANCE SCORES AND LOWER VERBAL SCORES ARE A CHARACTERISTIC OF ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPATHY. THIS PATTERN IS SUSTAINED GENERALLY IN THE MAJORITY OF OTHER STUDIES INVOLVING THE WECHSLER SCALE, REGARDLESS OF THE SUBJECTS' AGE, SEX, AND RACE. HOWEVER, THE PATTERN OF PERFORMANCE OVER VERBAL SCORES CANNOT BE SEEN AS A DIAGNOSIS OF DELINQUENCY. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE PATTERN APPEARS IN OTHER DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS AS WELL; A 1954 STUDY WITH A SAMPLE OF 100 DELINQUENTS AND 100 NONDELINQUENTS REVEALS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN MEAN SCORES FOR THE TWO GROUPS ON THE WECHSLER SCALES, WITH PERFORMANCE SCORES EXCEEDING VERBAL SCORES FOR BOTH GROUPS. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)