NCJ Number
25886
Date Published
Unknown
Length
37 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY COMPARED THE TEST PERFORMANCE OF 20 DELINQUENT AND 20 NONDELINQUENT JUVENILES ON THE VERBAL SCALE OF THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE AND THE ROTTER ASPIRATION BOARD TO DETERMINE GROUP GOAL-STRIVING BEHAVIOR PATTERNS.
Abstract
DELINQUENTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE POPULATION OF CEDAR KNOLL, A DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TAX-SUPPORTED INSTITUTION FOR ADJUDICATED DELINQUENTS. A CONTROL SAMPLE OF NONDELINQUENTS, MATCHED FOR AGE, INTELLIGENCE, SEX, RESIDENCE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL WAS SELECTED. CASE HISTORIES WERE GATHERED FROM INTERVIEWS, CASE HISTORY FORMS AND RECORDS, AND INDEPENDENT REPORTS. AFTER A SHORT INTRODUCTORY INTERVIEW WITH THE EXPERIMENTER. EACH SUBJECT WAS GIVEN THE ASPIRATION BOARD TEST AND THE INTELLIGENCE SCALE. THREE METHODS WERE EMPLOYED TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE DATA: THE D-SCORE, WHICH MEASURES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL SUBJECT'S PERFORMANCE ON THE ASPIRATION BOARD AND HIS ESTIMATES OF HIS PERFORMANCE; A MEASURE OF EACH SUBJECT'S VARIABILITY AROUND HIS OWN MEAN DISCREPANCY SCORE; AND THE PATTERNS OF PERFORMANCE DEMONSTRATED BY EACH SUBJECT. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE PROCESSES OF SELF-EVALUATION AND GOAL SETTING, AS MEASURED BY THE ASPIRATION BOARD, WOULD BE MORE DIFFICULT FOR DELINQUENT THAN NONDELINQUENT YOUTHS. HOWEVER, THE STUDY RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBLEMS OF EVALUATING THE SELF AND SETTING GOALS WHICH ARE REALISTICALLY RELATED TO ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL ARE NO MORE DIFFICULT FOR DELINQUENTS THAN NONDELINQUENTS. NEVERTHELESS, IT WAS NOTED THAT DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS DID NOT SEEM TO BE EQUALLY INFLUENCED BY THEIR PERFORMANCES WHEN SETTING THEIR GOALS: NONDELINQUENTS SEEMED TO RELY TO A GREATER EXTENT ON THEIR ACTUAL PERFORMANCE WHEN SETTING GOALS.