U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Interconnection Between Intellectual Achievement and Self-Control

NCJ Number
241640
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 40 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2013 Pages: 80-94
Author(s)
Danielle Boisvert; William Stadler; Jamie Vaske; John P. Wright; Matthew Nelson
Date Published
January 2013
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study assesses the degree to which self-control is linked with intellectual achievement in childhood and adolescence.
Abstract
Low self-control has emerged as a strong predictor of criminal conduct and analogous behaviors. Questions remain, however, as to the origins of self-control. Whereas some argue it is a trait instilled solely through a process of parental socialization, more recent research has suggested the possibility that self-control is interconnected with many executive functions deriving from the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Using data from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 2,104), this study assesses the degree to which self-control is linked with intellectual achievement in childhood and adolescence. Results from Poisson regression analyses indicate that intellectual achievement is significantly related to variations in self-control, controlling for a variety of parenting measures; age, race, and gender; and previous levels of self-control. A discussion of the relationship between intellectual achievement and self-control is provided. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.