NCJ Number
142514
Date Published
1973
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Over the past century, many correctional strategies aimed at rehabilitating delinquents have been based on the theory that offenders can be induced to change their unacceptable behavior patterns through modeling or imitation of others. Using the Porteus Mazes, this investigation examines the modeling of socially appropriate behavior by youthful offenders.
Abstract
Delinquents often score poorly on these tests because of a tendency toward impulsivity, rule-breaking, and carelessness. The sample for this study consisted of 48 male inmates between the ages of 18 and 25, housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee. The subjects were classified as psychopathic or neurotic according to their scores on the Personal Opinion Study. After completing the mazes, one group of offenders watched a videotape of another inmate performing the mazes in a careful and conscientious manner and then completed the mazes again themselves. Those subjects who watched the videotape improved their performance significantly more than those who viewed a videotape of an irrelevant task. In another test, the two groups of subjects watched a tape in which the model was praised for his performance. The retest results showed that youthful offenders classified as psychopaths responded better to this vicarious reinforcement than did those classified as neurotics. 2 tables, 3 figures, 2 notes, and 58 references