Examining the Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and Arrest Using a Differential Offenses Hypothesis: Evidence of Inconsistent Mediation

Abstract

The current study assessed the role of differential offense category involvement in the link between cognitive ability and arrest. Using structural equation modeling, the current study relied on data from the Pathways ( n = 1,354) and Add Health ( n = 3,605) to address three research questions on the differential etiology of offending category (aggressive and property), the mediating effects of disaggregated offending on the relationship between IQ and arrest, and how those effects vary across samples. The results suggested the negative association between IQ and arrest masked more complex processes encompassing opposing indirect paths through aggressive (negative) and property (positive) offending, suggesting inconsistent mediation. As a result, the total indirect effect of IQ on arrest through offending was suppressed when an aggregated offending measure was used, highlighting the value of disaggregating offending categories.