NCJ Number
32805
Date Published
1975
Length
121 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY TESTED THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF RESULTS ACHIEVED USING A BEHAVIOR RATING SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY THE AUTHOR; SCORES GIVEN BY PARENTS AND TEACHERS WERE COMPARED FOR DELINQUENT AND NONDELINQUENT YOUTHS.
Abstract
THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT MEASURES OF RECIDIVISM AND PERSONALITY TESTS HAVE BEEN THE TWO MAIN METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE BEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES OF INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS DELINQUENCY TREATMENT PROGRAMS. THE AUTHOR REVIEWS THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN BOTH THESE APPROACHES, AND PROPOSES THAT A METHOD WHICH ASSESSES ACTUAL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT WOULD BE A MORE RELIABLE FORM OF EVALUATION. A BEHAVIOR RATING SCHEDULE WAS DEVELOPED, AND GIVEN TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS OF A SAMPLE OF YOUTHS INVOLVED IN THREE KENTUCKY TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR JUVENILES AND A SAMPLE OF NONDELINQUENT YOUTHS. THE AUTHOR SOUGHT TO DETERMINE: 1) THE DEGREE OF CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT AUTHORITY FIGURES WHEN THEY ARE RATING BEHAVIORS OF DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS; 2) WHETHER DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS DIFFER IN BEHAVIOR AT SCHOOL; 3) WHETHER RECIDIVISTS AND NONRECIDIVISTS DIFFER IN BEHAVIOR AT SCHOOL AND/OR AT HOME; AND 4) WHICH OF THE BEHAVIORS MEASURED IN THIS STUDY ARE INTERCORRELATED. IT WAS FOUND THAT PARENT/TEACHER RATINGS WERE IN CLOSE CORRESPONDENCE, THAT TEACHERS OBSERVED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS ABOVE ANY BIASES DUE TO KNOWLEDGE OF DELINQUENCY, AND THAT PARENTS' RATINGS MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER DISCRIMINATORS OF RECIDIVISM/NONRECIDIVISM THAN THE TEACHERS'. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT THE EVALUATION METHODS USED IN THIS STUDY WERE PROVEN FEASIBLE.