NCJ Number
19216
Date Published
1967
Length
177 pages
Annotation
A STUDY TESTING THE HYPOTHESES THAT THE TIME SENSE OF A DELINQUENT SAMPLE WOULD BE LESS ACCURATE THAN THAT OF A NONDELINQUENT SAMPLE, AND THAT THE DISORDERED TIME SENSE OF DELINQUENTS IS RELATED TO CERTAIN PERSONALITY FACTORS.
Abstract
THE TIME TEST BATTERY, DESIGNED BY THE INVESTIGATOR, CONSISTED OF EIGHT SUBTESTS INVOLVING THREE METHODS AND TWO DURATIONS. THE STIMULI WERE HAMMER BEATS ON WOOD AND THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE TAPE RECORDED. THE SCORES WERE THE DISCREPANCIES IN SECONDS BETWEEN RESPONSE AND STANDARD. MEASURES ON 14 PERSONALITY FACTORS WERE OBTAINED BY THE HIGH SCHOOL PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE. INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW AND EXAMINATION OF RECORDS PROVIDED DATA REGARDING RACE, AGE, INTELLIGENCE, ACADEMIC PLACEMENT, AND - FOR THE DELINQUENT SAMPLE - LENGTH OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND NATURE OF THE OFFENSE. THE SUBJECTS WERE NEW JERSEY MALE RESIDENTS AGED 12-17 YEARS. THERE WERE 100 INSTITUTIONALIZED DELINQUENTS AND 100 NONDELINQUENTS, EQUATED FOR RACE. THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS, OF LESS ACCURACY IN THE DELINQUENT SAMPLE, WAS IN GENERAL CONFIRMED. THE PREDICTION OF POORER LEARNING AMONG DELINQUENTS WAS HOWEVER CONTRADICTED BY THE RESULTS WHICH DISCLOSED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THIS SAMPLE. THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS WAS NOT CONFIRMED. NEVERTHELESS, THREE PERSONALITY FACTORS DID DISCRIMINATE SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN THE TWO SAMPLES, WHILE MANY OF THEM PROVED SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL TIME SENSE SUBTESTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)