Exposure to Delinquent Peers

Why S.L. measure?Strength of Relationship

R’s = .2 - .4 are commonCriticisms

• Measuring delinquency twice• Causal (time) ordering (birds of a feather

Pro-Criminal Attitudes

Why a measure of S.L.?Strength of relationship? R’s > .4Criticism

CAUSAL ORDERING: Rationalization are simply post-hoc excuses, they do not “cause” crime, but only allow the criminal to wiggle out of trouble

Social Learning and the Life-course

When do the concepts of social learning (Akers/Sutherland) theory operate?

Gerald Patterson’s Social-Interactional Theory Focus on early childhood, and

rewards/punish “Definitions” and “Imitation” not central Rather, “Parental Efficacy”

Gerald Patterson (OSLS)

1982 “Coercion Theory”1992 “Social- Interactional

Approach” Oregon Social Learning Center Very Applied: Work with families with

young, antisocial boys.

Patterson’s Social-Interactional Model

•Family Structure•SES•Difficult Infant•High Crime Neighborhood•Divorce/Stress•UnskilledGrandparents

Parental Efficacy•Monitor•Recognize•Discipline•R+

•Problem Solving

Antisocial Child

Social Incompetence

ContextFamily Management

Outcomes

Later in the Theory

Antisocial Child Affects the Environment Peer Rejection Poor Academic Performance Parental Rejection

This leads to further problems Deviant Peer Group School Failure Delinquency

Beyond Surveys

Establishing causation via experiments with offenders What is the policy implication of S.L.T.? Measure both “intermediate objectives”

and long-term outcomes

Patterson and OSLC research

Recruited “high risk” children Stealers, fire-starters, truants…

Focus on training parents Also cognitive/behavioral methods to

build social competenceAble to substantially reduce

delinquency, improve school performance

Don Andrews (1980)

Group treatment for Prisoners and Probationers Manipulated content (definitions), group

leaders (quality of role model), and self-management

Reductions in recidivism ranged from 10-25%

Support for the Sutherland/Akers Tradition

Achievement Place

Houses with a married couple serving as “parents” Served as “role models” Token economy + verbal physical praise Peer groups (“positive peer culture”)

Evaluations are mixed (some positive) Tend to lose positive effects after release Be wary of “peer culture” programs

Cognitive Programs

Changing what criminals think “Criminal Thinking Errors”

(Rationalizations, Definitions)

Changing how criminals think Anger management Prosocial Skills

SUPPORT FOR BANDURA, PATTERSON

SUMMARY OF APPLIED RESEARCH

Cognitive and/or Behavioral Programs are the best bet for reducing Recidivism “Meta-analysis” findings are impressive Average reduction in recidivism across

45 studies?>30%

SUMMARY OF S.L.T

GOOD1. Substantial Empirical Support (survey

and experimental)2. Useful Policy Implications 3. Scope and Parsimony

BAD1. Causal ordering?2. Is all antisocial behavior “learned?”

Review of Social Learning Theories

Bandura How aggression is learned operant conditioning, cognitive, vicarious

Sutherland/Akers How deviant values are transmitted operant conditioning, vicarious learning Antisocial values (definitions) are central

Patterson Early childhood, family processes and “context”