A Structuralist Critique of the IQ-Delinquency Hypothesis
Theory and Evidence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2210405 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Scott Menard (0000-0002-8757-4247), Barbara J Morse |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1347-1378 |
| Publication date | 1984-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9602 • E-ISSN: 1537-5390 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/228019 |
| PMID | 6465416 |
| OpenAlex | W2161932956 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 22 |
| References cited | 22 |
The hypothesis that IQ is an important variable in explaining delinquent behavior among juveniles is examined theoretically and empirically. From a structuralist perspective, delinquent behavior is a consequence of social institutional practices, rather than of individual characteristics. The correlation of IQ with delinquency is not because IQ exerts any casual influence on delinquent behavior but because, in certain institutional settings (the schools), it may be selected by the institution as a criterion for differential treatment. Changes in institutional practices produce a change in the relationship between IQ and delinquency. Empirically, the variables in the structuralist model developed by the Office of Youth Development explain over 20% of the variance in serious and nonserious delinquency. The variables used in the IQ-delinquency hypothesis, a model based on individual characteristics instead of on institutional practices, explain less than 5% of the variation in serious and nonserious delinquent behavior. The conclusion is that the IQ-delinquency hypothesis contributes nothing to existing delinquency theory
Casual · Cognition · Criminology · Developmental psychology · Differential association · Intelligence quotient · Juvenile delinquency · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Psychiatry · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Psychology · Social Psychology
Constructing and Testinga Multiple-Theory (Integrated) Model of Juvenile Delinquency
Ties to Conventional Institutions and Delinquency
Role-Taking, Role Commitment, and Delinquency
Development and risk factors of juvenile antisocial behavior and delinquency
The Effect of Incarceration on Marriage and Work Over the Life Course
Labeling and Cumulative Disadvantage
Occupational Attainment and Criminal Justice Contact
Deviant Identity and Offending
Friendship Networks and Delinquency
The contribution of psychology to criminal justice education
Reflected Appraisals, Parental Labeling, and Delinquency
Delinquency and Disdain
The Relationship Between School Engagement and Delinquency in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence
The theory of social control
Taboo until today? The coverage of biological arguments in criminology textbooks, 1961 to 1970 and 1987 to 1996
Labeling, Life Chances, and Adult Crime
Explaining the Educational Deficits of Delinquent Youths
Explaining the Academic Performance-Delinquency Relationship
La prédiction de la délinquance
Predictors of the Likelihood of Delinquency
Self Reports of Being Falsely Accused of Criminal Behavior
Extending Interactional Theory
Delinquent behavior in an American city.
Schools and delinquency [by] Kenneth Polk [and] Walter E. Schafer.
Human Characteristics and School Learning
An Integrated Theoretical Perspective on Delinquent Behavior
Polygraph and Interview Validation of Self-Reported Deviant Behavior
Causes of Delinquency
Family Culture Patterns and Delinquent-Type Behavior
Intelligence and Delinquency
Robustness in Regression Analysis
Crime, victims, and the police
The Myth of Social Class and Criminality
Social Correlates of Early Adolescent Theft
Reconciling Race and Class Differences in Self-Reported and Official Estimates of Delinquency
Testing Control Theory and Differential Association
The Meaning of the IQ-Delinquency Relationship
Correlates of Delinquency
Measurement scales and statistics
Social Class and Delinquency
From Delinquent Behavior to Official Delinquency
Socio-Economic Status and Reported Delinquent Behavior
Delinquency, School Attendance and Dropout
Path Analysis and Ordinal Data
| Unique citing works | 22 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,54 |
| Citation span | 1985 - 2024 (40) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |