A Comparative Analysis of Social Learning and Social Control Theories in the Prediction of College Crime

Abstract

This research examines the comparative ability of social control and social learning theories to predict crime on a college campus. Data were obtained from self-report surveys from the first wave of a longitudinal study at a liberal arts college in the Mid-Atlantic region. Results from correlation and regression analyses indicate that both social control and social learning components are related to crime and drug use, with the greatest amount of variance explained by models that include elements of both theories. Issues such as the temporal ordering of peer and individual delinquency and the similarity between belief and definitions are discussed.