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Developmental trajectories of nonsocial reinforcement and offending in adolescence and young adulthood: An exploratory study of an understudied part of social learning theory

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  • Higgins, George E.
  • Jennings, Wesley G.
  • Marcum, Catherine D.
  • Ricketts, Melissa L.
  • Mahoney, Margaret

Abstract

Purpose Within social learning theory, nonsocial reinforcement has been hypothesized to have a link with offending. The purpose of the present study was to address two questions: (1) Does nonsocial reinforcement change or remain stable over time? And (2) does nonsocial reinforcement have a reciprocal link with offending, as Wood et al. (1997) would expect?Methods We used a subsample (N = 413) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data and semi-parametric group-based modeling (SPGM).Results and Conclusions The SPGM suggested three distinct groups of nonsocial reinforcement (one trajectory group appeared to have a low but stable rate of nonsocial reinforcement, one trajectory appeared to be higher but stable, another trajectory higher but also stable). A cross-tabulation of the nonsocial reinforcement trajectories and offending trajectories indicated that offending increased as nonsocial reinforcement became greater. Study limitations and implications are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Higgins, George E. & Jennings, Wesley G. & Marcum, Catherine D. & Ricketts, Melissa L. & Mahoney, Margaret, 2011. "Developmental trajectories of nonsocial reinforcement and offending in adolescence and young adulthood: An exploratory study of an understudied part of social learning theory," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 60-66, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:39:y::i:1:p:60-66
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    Cited by:

    1. Jennings, Wesley G. & Reingle, Jennifer M., 2012. "On the number and shape of developmental/life-course violence, aggression, and delinquency trajectories: A state-of-the-art review," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 472-489.
    2. DeLisi, Matt & Piquero, Alex R., 2011. "New frontiers in criminal careers research, 2000-2011: A state-of-the-art review," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 289-301, July.
    3. Williams-Butler, Abigail, 2018. "Reducing delinquency among African American youth in foster care: Does gender make a difference in crossover prevention?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 563-571.

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