Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
As a result of increasing reliance on probation and parole systems, researchers have begun to explore psychological constructs that may enhance the ability to predict community supervision outcomes. Previous research suggests that psychopathic traits are inversely related to successful outcomes, while social interest shows a positive relationship with successful outcomes (Daugherty, Murphy, & Paugh, 2001; Hart, Kropp, & Hare, 1988). Past research has largely been conducted with Caucasian male participants, creating a question of how well these findings generalize to other demographic groups. The current study aimed to replicate and expand the generalizability of findings from Springer (2005) who found that self-report measures of psychopathy and social interest were predictive of probation outcome. A sample of 106 male and female offenders being placed on probation in an urban area was obtained. Participants were asked to complete the Sulliman Scale of Social Interest (SSSI) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Short Form (PPI-SF). In addition, demographic and criminal history predictor variables were collected along with an actuarial score for risk of poor probation outcomes. After a six-month follow-up period, probation outcome data were collected. As expected, participant scores on the SSSI and PPI-SF were inversely related. However, although in the expected direction, neither measure was significantly correlated with probation outcome. The actuarial risk score was correlated with outcome and was the only variable shown to successfully predict outcome and reoffense status in a regression model. No group differences based on sex or race were demonstrated. These results suggest that self-report measures of psychopathy and social interest may not improve upon the predictive ability of demographic and criminal history variables already utilized in most criminal justice settings. Therefore, it would not be beneficial to implement these measures in applied settings for purposes of offender classification.
Recommended Citation
White, Joshua L., "The Role Of Psychopathy And Social Interest In The Prediction Of Probation Outcome" (2009). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1300.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1300