Discuss juvenile delinquency. Include a discussion of the research relating ethnicity and delinquency in your answer
What will be an ideal response?
Juvenile delinquency refers to acts that are either illegal because of age (e.g., underage
smoking or drinking) or are illegal for all, but happen to be perpetrated by an individual
without adult status. Although African-American and European-American teens report
comparable numbers of delinquent acts, African-American youth are significantly more
likely to be arrested for both nonserious and serious offenses. The causal patterns of
juvenile delinquency are quite complicated. Regardless, patterns do emerge. Children
who are aggressive, hyperactive, and antisocial are more likely to show delinquent
behavior in adolescence. Other factors related to delinquency include (1) low verbal IQ
scores, (2) immature moral reasoning, (3) low self-esteem, (4) feelings of alienation,
and (5) impulsivity. Personal factors include (1) poor school performance, (2) early
substance abuse, (3) early sexuality, and (4) having delinquent friends. It is, of course,
very difficult to determine the direction of causality. For example, it is just as likely that
an adolescent who abuses a substance will engage in other delinquent acts as it is that
being delinquent may prompt one to abuse a substance.
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Fears and phobias cannot be readily eased by merely reading about them because
a. most phobias are usually learned before a child is capable of reading. b. phobias have an inherited pattern that runs in families. c. one cannot learn complex behaviors merely by reading about them. d. cognitive learning has little effect on the lower brain areas that produce feelings of fear.
In the most recent edition of the Stanford-Binet intelligence test, the examinee's starting point for the subtests is determined by
a. the examinee's grade level. b. the examinee's average school performance, across subjects. c. the examinee's scores on subtests of verbal and nonverbal ability. d. the examinee's age.