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White Collar Criminality: a Prediction Model Judith M Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1991 White collar criminality: a prediction model Judith M. Collins Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Psychology Commons, and the Social Psychology and Interaction Commons Recommended Citation Collins, Judith M., "White collar criminality: a prediction model " (1991). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 9607. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/9607 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, IVII48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9207241 White collar criminality: A prediction model Collins, Judith M., Ph.D. Iowa State University, 1991 UM-I 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 White collar criminality: A prediction model by Judith M. Collins A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Psychology Approved; Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Graduate College Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1991 Copyright © Judith M. Collins, 1991. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 Objective 1 The Definition of White Collar Crime ...2 The Problem 5 Theories of White Collar Crime 7 Sociological Perspectives 8 Sutherland's Differential Association 8 Reckless's Containment Theory 10 Hirschi and Gottfredson•s General Theory 11 Psychological Perspectives 13 The Criminal Personality 14 The Latent Trait Approach 15 Biopsychosocial Theory 17 Wilson and Herrnstein's Comprehensive Theory 19 Fishbein's Biological Model 20 METHOD 22 Subjects ..22 Measures 27 The Irritability Scale 28 The California Psychological Inventory 29 iii Page The Biographical Questionnaire 31 The PDI Employment Inventory 32 Probscore 34 STUDY ONE 35 Introduction 35 Statistical Analyses 46 Results 47 Discussion 48 Conclusions 56 STUDY TWO 58 Introduction 58 The Individual's Traits 63 The Individual's Behavior in Past Situations 68 The Individual's Perceptions of Personal and Work-related Situations 72 Statistical Analyses 76 Level One: Selection of Variables 76 Level Two: The Prediction Model 80 Level Three: The Classification Analysis 87 Level Four: Cross-validation 90 Results 93 Level One; Selection of Variables 93 iv Page Level Two: The Prediction Model 96 Level Three; The Classification Analysis 100 Level Four: The Cross-validation 102 Discussion 104 Base Rate Considerations 117 Conclusions 120 STUDY THREE .122 Introduction 122 Statistical Results 123 Discussion 124 Conclusion 126 STUDY FOUR 127 Introduction 127 Statistical Results 127 Discussion and Conclusion 128 OVERALL SUMMARY 129 LIMITATIONS 130 FUTURE RESEARCH 135 REFERENCES 171 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 200 APPENDIX A. JOB DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKPLACE SAMPLE 203 APPENDIX B. GENERAL INFORMATION STATEMENT 208 V APPENDIX C. INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENT FOR PRISON SAMPLE 212 APPENDIX D. INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENT FOR WORKPLACE SAMPLE 214 APPENDIX E. DEBRIEFING STATEMENT 216 APPENDIX F. THE IRRITABILITY SCALE 218 APPENDIX G. THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY; SCALE TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS 224 APPENDIX H. THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY: SCALE ABBREVIATIONS 234 APPENDIX I. BIODATA QUESTIONNAIRE (MALES); SCALE DESCRIPTIONS 237 APPENDIX J. BIODATA QUESTIONNAIRE (FEMALES); SCALE DESCRIPTIONS 241 APPENDIX Ka. THE GENERAL BIODATA QUESTIONNAIRE (GBQ) SCALE DESCRIPTIONS 246 APPENDIX Kb. GENERAL BIODATA QUESTIONNAIRE (GBQ) 250 APPENDIX L. THE PDI EMPLOYMENT INVENTORY: ITEM EXAMPLES 279 APPENDIX M. THE PROBSCOR QUESTIONNAIRE 281 APPENDIX N. FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION FOR DISCRIMINANT SCORES FOR PRISON SAMPLE 283 APPENDIX 0. FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION FOR DISCRIMINANT SCORES FOR WORKPLACE SAMPLE 285 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Federal Prison Locations and Test Dates ....137 Table 2. Crimes Committed and Number of Offenders ...139 Table 3. Workplace Organizations, Numbers of Employees, and Dates of Testing 141 Table 4. Educational Levels for Non-offenders and Offenders 143 Table 5. Means, Standard Deviations, and t-scores for Study One hypotheses 144 Table 6. d values for 43 Scales 145 Table 7. T-test of Multiplicative Model for Study One 148 Table 8. Reliabilities, Means, Standard Deviations, and t-scores for Non-offenders and Offenders 149 Table 9. Stepdisc variables selected 155 Table 10. Means, Standard Deviations, and t-scores for 15 Scales of the Model 157 Table 11. Total Sample Statistics and Correlations for the Discriminating Variables 159 Table 12. Standardized Canonical Weights and Total Structure Coefficients 160 vii Page Table 13. Results of the Canonical Discriminant Analysis 162 Table 14. Discriminant Analysis Univariate Test Statistics 163 Table 15. Number of Observations and Percent Classified for the Development Sample ....165 Table 16. Classifications of Observed Hits 166 Table 17. Classifications of Expected Hits 167 Table 18. Number of Observations and Percent Classified for the Cross-validation sample 168 Table 19. Results of the Canonical Discriminant Analysis for the Six Factor Model 169 Table 20. Unbiased Estimates of the Number of Observations and Percent Classified for the Six Factor Model in the Hold-Out Sample 170 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Plot of centroids for offenders (2) and non-offenders (1) 101a 1 INTRODUCTION Objective A two-tiered study was proposed to identify individuals who may have the propensity to engage in white collar offenses — non-violent offenses that are committed for personal financial gain by means of deception. The goal is to reduce the proportion of security clearances, sensitive assignments, or promotions to positions of confidentiality granted to individuals who are prone to engage in financially irresponsible acts. In Study One, a theoretical approach was taken in which hypotheses were be specified; the principles of adaptation- level phenomena, frustration-aggression theory, and Vroom's (1964) Expectancy Model were applied to the exploration of white collar criminality. An empirical approach was taken in Study Two in the development and validation of a prediction model for the purpose of maximally differentiating potential white-collar offenders from non-offenders. In Study Two, three interrelated factors were considered in the prediction of behavior: 1) the identification of individuals who are described and evaluated in particular and interpersonally significant ways (as distinguished from 2 the ordinary psychometric aim of defining an individual's psychological traits), 2) the individual's behavior in past situations, and 3) the individual's perception of the work-related environment. Self-report data from the study population samples were used to evaluate these three predictors of behavior. The Definition of White Collar Crime It is necessary to define white collar crime in order to distinguish between white collar offenders and non­ offenders. Clinard and Quinney (1973) describe white collar crime as occupational crime consisting of offenses committed by individuals for themselves in the course of their occupations, and the offenses of employees against their employers. Other researchers have defined white collar crime as violations of law to which penalties are attached that involve the use of a violator's position of influence, trust, or power in the legitimate economic or political institutional order for the purpose of illegal gain, or to commit an illegal act for personal or organizational gain (Reiss & Biderman, 1980). Edelhertz (1970) states that white collar crime is "an illegal act or series of illegal acts committed
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