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Improving Self-Reported Measures of Delinquency

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Cross-National Research in Self-Reported Crime and Delinquency

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 50))

Abstract

Few issues are as critical to the study of crime and delinquency as the question of the reliability, validity and precision of our measures of this phenomenon. For many delinquency researchers employing self-report, offender-based measures, it would appear that these issues have been satisfactorily resolved. It is quite common for delinquency researchers today to reference the classic work of Hindelang, Hirschi and Weis (1981), cite their conclusion that the reliability and validity of self-reported measures of delinquency compare favorably to other standard measures employed routinely by social scientists, and proceed to report their findings without reference to the reliability or validity of their particular measure as employed in a particular sample or population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Behavioral Science and Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

    Delbert S. Elliott

  2. Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

    David Huizinga

Authors
  1. Delbert S. Elliott
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  2. David Huizinga
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Crime and Social Control, Social Science Research Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Malcolm W. Klein

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Elliott, D.S., Huizinga, D. (1989). Improving Self-Reported Measures of Delinquency. In: Klein, M.W. (eds) Cross-National Research in Self-Reported Crime and Delinquency. NATO ASI Series, vol 50. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1001-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1001-0_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6940-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1001-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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