Shulman Elizabeth P, Cauffman Elizabeth
Psychology Department, University of Pennsylvania.
Law Hum Behav. 2013 Dec;37(6):412-23. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000033. Epub 2013 May 6.
To what extent is criminal behavior in adolescence attributable to risk appraisal? Using two large cross-sectional samples (N = 929, age range: 10-30 years; and N = 1,357, age range: 12-24 years), we examine whether (a) reward bias in risk appraisal is more prominent in adolescence and (b) the association between risk appraisal and criminal behavior is stronger during adolescence than at other ages. In Study 1, criminal behavior was self-reported; in Study 2, it was defined by involvement with the court. Perceived chances of a negative outcome, seriousness of consequences, and benefits versus costs of various risky activities were assessed to gauge reward bias in risk appraisal. The findings indicate that reward bias is elevated during the adolescence years. Also, risk appraisal bears a stronger relation to self-reported crime in middle adolescence and to official law-breaking behavior in early adolescence than at other ages. The findings are consistent with a dual-systems model of adolescent development and align with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions addressing juvenile offenders' culpability.
青少年的犯罪行为在多大程度上可归因于风险评估？我们使用两个大型横断面样本（样本一：N = 929，年龄范围：10 - 30岁；样本二：N = 1357，年龄范围：12 - 24岁），研究了以下两点：（a）风险评估中的奖励偏差在青少年时期是否更为突出；（b）风险评估与犯罪行为之间的关联在青少年时期是否比在其他年龄段更强。在研究1中，犯罪行为通过自我报告获得；在研究2中，犯罪行为由与法庭的关联来定义。评估了对负面结果的感知可能性、后果的严重性以及各种风险活动的收益与成本，以衡量风险评估中的奖励偏差。研究结果表明，奖励偏差在青少年时期有所升高。此外，与其他年龄段相比，风险评估在青少年中期与自我报告的犯罪行为以及在青少年早期与官方违法犯罪行为的关联更强。这些研究结果与青少年发展的双系统模型一致，并且与美国最高法院最近关于青少年犯罪者罪责的裁决相符。
