@article{ref1,
title="Longitudinal and reciprocal relations between delay discounting and crime",
journal="Personality and individual differences",
year="2017",
author="Lee, Christine A. and Derefinko, Karen J. and Milich, Richard and Lynam, Donald R. and Dewall, C. Nathan",
volume="111",
number="",
pages="193-198",
abstract="Theorists argue that self-control failure is the underlying cause of criminal behavior, with previous research linking poor self-control to delinquency and drug use. The path from self-control to crime is well-established, but less is known about whether criminal behavior contributes to self-control deficits over time. We investigated bi-directional relations between self-control assessed via a delay discounting task and self-reported crime over a three-year period. During their first, second (73.38% retention rate), and third (63.12% retention rate) years of college, 526 undergraduates completed a delay discounting task and reported on their criminal behavior. In order to maximize variability, participants with conduct problems were overrecruited, comprising 23.1% of the final sample. As expected, more discounting of hypothetical monetary rewards significantly predicted future property crime across a one and two-year period, even when controlling for initial levels of both. This study also demonstrated evidence of a bi-directional relationship; violent crime predicted higher rates of delay discounting one year later. These results suggest that bi-directional relations exist between self-control and types of crime.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0191-8869",
doi="10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.023",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.02.023"
}