Skip to main content

A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency.

Publication ,  Journal Article
White, JL; Moffitt, TE; Silva, PA
Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology
December 1989

The purpose of the study was to test the replicability of a protective effect of high IQ against criminality. Support has been found in prior studies for the hypotheses that Ss at high risk would have an elevated risk of serious criminal involvement, that seriously criminal Ss would have a lower mean IQ score than noncriminal Ss, and that Ss at high risk who had not become involved in serious criminal behavior would have the highest IQs. This report tests these hypotheses in a prospective design. Subjects were 1,037 members of a longitudinal investigation of a New Zealand birth cohort. IQs were examined for male and female Ss who were divided into 4 groups formed on the basis of risk status at age 5 years and delinquency outcome at ages 13 and 15. Analyses were conducted with and without mild delinquents excluded from the nondelinquent groups. We found that male and female delinquents showed significantly lower IQ scores than nondelinquents. By varying S selection procedures, we also found that a very high IQ may help boys, even those at risk, to stay free of delinquency altogether.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Journal of consulting and clinical psychology

DOI

EISSN

1939-2117

ISSN

0022-006X

Publication Date

December 1989

Volume

57

Issue

6

Start / End Page

719 / 724

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Prospective Studies
  • Male
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Intelligence
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Child, Preschool
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
White, J. L., Moffitt, T. E., & Silva, P. A. (1989). A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(6), 719–724. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.57.6.719
White, J. L., T. E. Moffitt, and P. A. Silva. “A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 57, no. 6 (December 1989): 719–24. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.57.6.719.
White JL, Moffitt TE, Silva PA. A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 1989 Dec;57(6):719–24.
White, J. L., et al. “A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, vol. 57, no. 6, Dec. 1989, pp. 719–24. Epmc, doi:10.1037//0022-006x.57.6.719.
White JL, Moffitt TE, Silva PA. A prospective replication of the protective effects of IQ in subjects at high risk for juvenile delinquency. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. 1989 Dec;57(6):719–724.

Published In

Journal of consulting and clinical psychology

DOI

EISSN

1939-2117

ISSN

0022-006X

Publication Date

December 1989

Volume

57

Issue

6

Start / End Page

719 / 724

Related Subject Headings

  • Sex Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Prospective Studies
  • Male
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Intelligence
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Child, Preschool