ABSTRACT

The treatment of juvenile offenders remains a problem of broad interest in many societies. The current study aimed to develop and validate a Modern Prejudice toward Juveniles Scale (MPJS) and examine its psychometric properties, including its relationships with preferences in juvenile criminal policy. Study 1 (N = 266) investigated the factor structure of item candidates when respondents were instructed to think of 18- and 19-year-olds as juveniles. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor model, with each having acceptable reliability. Additionally, based on the characteristics of each item, which were examined using the graded response model, 10 items were retained in the provisional scale. The multi-group confirmatory factor analysis conducted in Study 2 (N = 866) confirmed the two-factor model and its generalizability to other age groups (i.e. 16/17 and 14/15). Convergent validity with social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism, incremental validity with support for harsher punishment and rehabilitation, and real-name reporting were examined and confirmed. Overall, the results support the reliability, convergent validity, and incremental validity of the MPJS.

摘要

少年犯的待遇仍然是许多社会广泛关注的问题。当前的研究旨在开发和验证现代青少年偏见量表（MPJS），并检查其心理测量特性，包括其与青少年刑事政策偏好的关系。研究 1 ( N  = 266) 调查了当受访者被要求将 18 岁和 19 岁的人视为青少年时，候选项目的因素结构。探索性因素分析产生了一个双因素模型，每个模型都具有可接受的可靠性。此外，根据每个项目的特点，使用分级响应模型进行检查，临时量表中保留了10个项目。研究2中进行的多组验证性因素分析（N = 866）证实了双因素模型及其对其他年龄组（即16/17和14/15）的普遍性。检验并确认了与社会支配取向和右翼威权主义的趋同效度、支持更严厉惩罚和康复的增量效度以及实名报告。总体而言，结果支持 MPJS 的可靠性、收敛有效性和增量有效性。