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Author: Jennings, Wesley G.
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Higgins, George E.
Jennings, Wesley G.
Marcum, Catherine D.
Ricketts, Melissa L.
Mahoney, Margaret
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 39,1 (January-February 2011): 60-66.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235210001947
Cohort(s): NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Adolescent Behavior; Behavior, Antisocial; Behavioral Differences; Crime; Delinquency/Gang Activity; Illegal Activities

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. Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

"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,"

Bibliography Citation
Higgins, George E., Wesley G. Jennings, Catherine D. Marcum, Melissa L. Ricketts and Margaret Mahoney. "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 39,1 (January-February 2011): 60-66.
2. Jennings, Wesley G.
Higgins, George E.
Akers, Ronald L.
Khey, David N.
Dobrow, Jason
Examining the Influence of Delinquent Peer Association on the Stability of Self-Control in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Toward an Integrated Theoretical Model
Deviant Behavior 34,5 (May 2013): 407-422.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01639625.2012.735903
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Keyword(s): Adolescent Behavior; Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Behavior, Antisocial; Behavioral Differences; Delinquency/Gang Activity; Illegal Activities; Peers/Peer influence/Peer relations; Self-Regulation/Self-Control

Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) general theory of crime and Akers' social learning theory (1998) have been given considerable attention in the criminological literature. Despite the empirical support for these theories, it is commonplace to test these theories as competing or conflicting theoretical frameworks. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) (N = 629), we examine two related research questions: (1) is self-control relatively stable in late childhood and early adolescence? and (2) does delinquent peer association influence the stability of self-control in late childhood and early adolescence? The results suggest that perhaps a more theoretically integrated approach (social learning and self-control synergistic theory, SSST) is plausible, rather than discussing these two theories as distinct and competing frameworks. Theoretical implications and study limitations are also discussed.
Bibliography Citation
Jennings, Wesley G., George E. Higgins, Ronald L. Akers, David N. Khey and Jason Dobrow. "Examining the Influence of Delinquent Peer Association on the Stability of Self-Control in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Toward an Integrated Theoretical Model." Deviant Behavior 34,5 (May 2013): 407-422.