NCJ Number
105466
Date Published
1982
Length
643 pages
Annotation
This study examined the nature and extent of sex differences in cognitive functioning and the relationship of these differences in officially recorded delinquency data.
Abstract
Longitudinal data were drawn from a sample of 987 black children in the first 4 cohorts (1959-1962) of the Philadelphia Collaborative Perinatal Project data collection. While there were few sex differences in verbal and spatial abilities at early ages (4 and 7 years), females scored somewhat higher than males on verbal abilities, and males scored higher than females on spatial abilities in adolescence. Relative to females, males had a significantly higher incidence of delinquency, violence, and repeat offenses. They also showed a slightly later age of onset of delinquency. Offenders of both sexes scored significantly lower than nonoffenders on spatial and verbal abilities. This was particularly true for repeat offenders and violent offenders. Finally, socioeconomic and familial factors were the strongest predictors of both achievement and delinquency for males and females. Appendixes provide supplemental research materials. Index, chapter notes, 31 figures, and approximately 110 tables.