A Test of Social Learning Theory and Self-Control on Cyber Offending

ABSTRACT

The current study examines the mediating and moderating effects of both social learning theory (SLT), focusing on peer interactions (including both traditional and virtual peers), and self-control theory on self-reported cyber offending. Results for the two strongest SLT predictors, differential association and definitions favorable to crime, were in line with previous studies of both traditional and cyber offending in their conditional relationship with cyber offending. Self-control had no direct effect on cyber offending but displayed a significant interaction effect with both differential reinforcement and definitions.

Keywords:

• social learning
• self-control
• virtual peers
• cyber offending

Notes

¹ Outcome measure is a factor of anticipated involvement in cyber offending over the next 12 months, where one factor was retained with an eigenvalue of 5.31.

² Data were evaluated for univariate and multivariate outliers. Twenty four cases were removed either due to missing data or Mahalanobis Distance scores exceeding the 0.01 cutoff (Tabachnick and Fidell 2007) resulting in a final sample of n = 428.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brooke Nodeland

BROOKE NODELANDis an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include cyber offending, cyber victimization, victimology, and public opinion.

Robert Morris

ROBERT MORRIS, formerly Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas, is Principal at RTex Research, LLC. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed manuscripts in leading criminological journals, won numerous awards for both research and teaching, and now specializes in production machine learning solutions for distributed assets. He holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University.