NCJ Number
138423
Journal
Journal of Clinical Psychology Volume: 48 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1992) Pages: 256-261
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data collected on a sample of 149 juvenile delinquents, including 72 violent offenders and 77 nonviolent offenders, were used to study the differential frequency of PIQ > VIQ discrepancies between the subgroups and the association between PIQ > VIQ discrepancies and measures of the subjects' family background and prior psychosocial adjustment. The PIQ > VIQ discrepancy has been identified by researchers as the relatively greater deficit on verbal IQ than on performance IQ scored by juvenile delinquents.
Abstract
The results showed that 35 percent of the juvenile delinquents studied displayed a statistically significant PIQ > VIQ discrepancy; only 16 percent of the general youth population has this kind of discrepancy. Although there were significant IQ differences between white and black delinquents, the PIQ > VIQ discrepancy showed up in both racial groups and was found in subjects tested with either the WISC-R or the WAIS-R IQ tests. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of a PIQ > VIQ discrepancy between nonviolent and violent offenders. While IQ was associated with prior school adjustment, the scores were not correlated with other variables, including family dysfunction, substance abuse, or previous criminal activity. 1 table and 25 references