Socioeconomic status, IQ, and delinquency.

A number of studies have found a negative relationship between IQ and delinquent involvement. Some researchers maintain that IQ is a spurious variable in the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and delinquency, whereas others assert that IQ bears a causal relationship to delinquency that is independent of the effects of SES. Results from two Danish prospective longitudinal studies are presented that support the latter view, In each study a significant negative correlation between IQ and level of delinquent involvement remained after SES effects were partialled out. It is posited that low IQ children may be likely to engage in delinquent behavior because their poor verbal abilities limit their opportunities to obtain rewards in the school environment.