Expectancy in Delinquent Behavior of Adolescent Girls

Abstract

A study was conducted to test the utility of Rotter's social learning theory in predicting the type of delinquent behavior, sexual or non-sexual, in which adolescent girls would engage. It was hypothesized that (1) sexually delinquent girls would place high reward value for love and affection and have low expectancy for attaining it, (2) non-sexually delinquent girls would place high reward value for recognition and status and have low expectancy for attaining it, and (3) that normals would not be significantly low on reward value or expectancy for either love and affection or recognition status. Hypotheses 1 and 3 were supported, while the variable of recognition status appeared to have little relevance for Ss' behavior.