Journal
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR
Volume 34, Issue 10, Pages 1345-1361Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0093854807302049
Keywords
biology; brain; executive functions; genetics; low self-control; parents
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
According to Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), levels of self-control are determined by parental management techniques, not by biological and genetic influences. Recent behavioral genetic and neuroscientific research challenges this view and reveals that biogenic factors are largely responsible for the development of self-control. The current article builds off this body of literature and argues that Gottfredson and Hirschi's parental socialization thesis should be reformulated to recognize that self-control is just one part of a larger constellation of executive functions that are modulated by the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Using a sample of about 3,000 children, this reformulated thesis was tested by examining whether neuropsychological deficits are predictive of parental and teacher reports of the child's level of self-control. Results revealed that measures of neuropsychological deficits were associated with variability in childhood self-control. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available