Examining the Relationship Between Criminogenic Thinking, Differential Identification, Motivation, and Risk-Taking Behavior in Emerging Adults

Öz

Young adults engage in a disproportionately high rate of problematic behaviors such as risky sexual activities, academic dishonesty, and substance abuse. In order to understand why this occurs, two lesser-known constructs related to risk-taking behavior were investigated in this study: differential identification, which has yet to be empirically studied in the context of emerging adults, and criminogenic thinking, which has only been evaluated in this context to a minimal degree. To bridge the gap between these two constructs, motivation was hypothesized to be a moderator in each of these respective relationships. Data from 309 emerging adults were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to complete the survey materials online. The analysis consisted of a hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results indicated that motivation did not moderate either relationship (i.e., differential identification and risk-taking behavior and criminogenic thinking and risk-taking behavior). However, a main effect was found between one aspect of differential identification and risk-taking behavior. No other main effects were found in this study. Potential explanations for the results of this study are discussed, as well as implications and directions for future research.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Criminogenic thinking
• differential identification
• risk-taking

Kaynakça

1. Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckmann (Eds.), Action-control: From cognition to behavior (pp.11-39). Heidelberg: Springer.
2. Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, traits, and actions: Dispositional prediction of behavior in personality and social psychology. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 20, pp. 1-63). New York: Academic Press.
3. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, (179-211).
4. Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitive, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12(5), 353-359.
5. Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2016). The psychology of criminal conduct (6th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing.
6. Arnett, J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469-480.
7. Arnett, J. (2002). Developmental sources of crash risk in young drivers. Injury Prevention, 8, ii17-ii23.
8. Aron, A., Aron, E., & Smollan, D. (1992). Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(4), 596-612.

9. Basil, M. (1996). Identification as a mediator of celebrity effects. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 40(4), 478-495.
10. Boduszek, D., Adamson, G., Shevlin, M., Hyland, P., & Bourke, A. (2013). The role of criminal social identity in the relationship between criminal friends and criminal thinking style within a sample of recidivistic prisoners. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(1), 14-28.
11. Bradley, G. & Wildman, K. (2002). Psychosocial predictors of emerging adults’ risk and reckless behaviors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31(4), 253-265.
12. Byrnes, J. P., Miller, D. C., & Schafer, W. D. (1999). Gender differences in risk taking: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 367–383.
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2016. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats16/CDC_2016_STDS_Report-for508WebSep21_2017_1644.pdf
14. Collins, S. & Carey, K. (2007). The theory of planned behavior as a model of heavy episodic drinking among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 21(4), 498-507.
15. Dubois, D. L., & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 95(3), 518-524.
16. Finer, L.B., & Zolna, M.R. (2016). Declines in unintended pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(9), 843-852.
17. Gateway Foundation. (n.d.) Effects of drug abuse and addiction. Retrieved from https://recovergateway.org/substance-abuse-resources/drug-addiction-effects/Glaser, D. (1956). Criminality theories and behavioral images. American Journal of Sociology, 61(5), 433-444.
18. Halpern, C. T., Spriggs, A. L., Martin, S. L., & Kupper, L. L. (2009). Patterns of intimate partner violence victimization from adolescence to young adulthood in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(5), 508-516.
19. Harris, C.R., Jenkins, M., & Glaser, D. (2006). Gender differences in risk assessment: Why do women take fewer risks than men? Judgment and Decision Making, 1(1), 48-63.
20. Hedegaard, H., Warner, M., & Miniño, A.M. (2017). Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 1999-2016(NCHS Data Brief No. 294). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db294.pdf
21. Hooper, Komarraju, Weston, & Dollinger (2007). Is plagiarism a forerunner of other deviance? Imagined futures of academically dishonest students. Ethics & Behavior, 17(3), 323-336.
22. Huesmann, L., Eron, L., Lefkowitz, M., & Walder, L. (1984). Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology, 20(6), 1120-1134.
23. Ipeirotis, P. G. (2010). Demographics of Mechanical Turk (CeDER Working Paper No. 10-01). New York University. Retrieved from http://www.ipeirotis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/CeDER10-01.pdf
24. Kloep, M., Güney, N., Çok, F., & Simsek, Ö.F. (2009). Motives for risk-taking in adolescence: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 135-151.
25. Konijn, E. A., Nije Bijvank, M., & Bushman, B.J. (2007). I wish I were a warrior: The role of wishful identification in the effects of violent video games on aggression in adolescent boys. Developmental Psychology, 43(4), 1038-1044.
26. Levay, K. E., Freese, J., & Druckman, J. N. (2016). The demographic and political composition of Mechanical Turk samples. Sage Open, 6(1),1-17.
27. Lostutter, T., Holmes, J. K., & Larimer, M. E. (2013). College student gambling: Etiology, consequences, and prevention strategies. In P. M. Miller (Ed.), Interventions for addiction: Comprehensive addictive behaviors and disorders, (pp. 883-892). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.
28. Mandracchia, J.T. (2017). Measure of Criminogenic Thinking Styles (MOCTS) manual. Unpublished manual and user guide.
29. Mandracchia, J. T. & Pendleton, S. (2015). Understanding college students’ problems: Dysfunctional thinking, mental health, and maladaptive behavior. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice 17(2), 226-242.
30. McCabe, D. (2015). Cheating and honor: Lessons from a long-term research project. In Bretag, T. (Eds.), Handbook of academic integrity (pp. 1-9). Springer, Singapore.
31. Mills, J., & Kroner, D., (1999). Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates User Guide. Kingston, Ontario, Canada: Author.
32. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2018). 2017 Alcohol-impaired driving traffic safety fact sheet (DOT HS No. 812630). Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Retrieved from https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812630
33. Nelson, D. A., Springer, M. M., Nelson, L. J., & Bean, N. H. (2008). Normative beliefs regarding aggression in emerging adulthood. Social Development, 17(3), 638-660.
34. Paolacci, G., Chandler, J., & Ipeirotis, P. G. (2010). Running experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Judgment and Decision Making, 5, 411-420.
35. Parker, D., Manstead, A., Stradling, S., Reason, J., & Baxter, J. (1992). Intention to commit driving violations: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(1), 94-101.
36. Riopka, S., Coupland, R., & Olver, M. (2015). Self-reported psychopathy and its association with criminal cognition and antisocial behavior in a sample of university undergraduates. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 47(3), 216-225.
37. Stack, S. (1990). Divorce, suicide, and the mass media: An analysis of differential identification, 1948-1980. Journal of Marriage and Family, 52(2), 553-560.
38. Stratton, J. (1967). Differential identification and attitudes toward the law. Social Forces, 46(2), 256-262.
39. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53).
40. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHFFR2017/NSDUHFFR2017.pdf
41. Trivedi, N., Haynie, D., Bible, J., Liu, D., & Simons-Morton, B. (2017). Cell phone use while driving: Prospective association with emerging adult use. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 106, 450-455.
42. Vallas, R., & Dietrich, S. (2014). One strike and you’re out: How we can eliminate barriers to economic security and mobility for people with criminal records. Washington D.C.: Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VallasCriminalRecordsReport.pdf
43. Van Looy, J., Courtois, C., De Vocht, M., & De Marez, L. (2012). Player identification in online games: Validation of a scale for measuring identification in MMOGs. Media Psychology, 15(2), 197-221.
44. Walters, G. D. (1990). The criminal lifestyle: Patterns of serious criminal conduct. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
45. Weber, E. U., Blais, A., & Betz, E. N. (2002). A domain specific risk-attitude scale: Measuring risk perceptions and risk behaviors. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 15, 263–290.
46. Yochelson, S., & Samenow, S. (1976). The criminal personality (vol. 1): A profile for change. New York, NY: Jason Aronson