Enhanced thinking skills and the association between executive function and antisocial behaviour in children and adult offenders: scope for intervention?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14636641311299095 |
| Pages | 68-77 |
| Date | 08 February 2013 |
| Published date | 08 February 2013 |
| Author | Isabel Brunton,Tom Hartley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Public policy & environmental management,Sociology |
Enhanced thinking skills and the
association between executive function
and antisocial behaviour in children and
adult offenders: scope for intervention?
Isabel Brunton and Tom Hartley
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS)
programme, prepared for the Joint Prison Probation Service Accreditation Panel, might reduce
antisocial behaviour if delivered to school-aged children.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents two studies. In the first, adult offenders’
executive function was measured before and after undertaking the ETS course, using a self report form.
Change in behaviour following the course was assessed using behaviour checklists completed by
prison staff. In the second study, schoolchildren’sexecutive function was measured using a self report
form and their behaviour was also assessed using a comparable behaviour checklist.
Findings – The results showed an association between antisocial behaviour and poor executive
function in both offenders and schoolchildren. Offenders displayed less antisocial behaviour following
the ETS course. Executive function and antisocial behaviour measured before the ETS course predicted
reduction in antisocial behaviour following the course.
Research limitations/implications – Thestudies do not establish a causal role for the ETS programme
in reducing antisocial behaviour, and it was not possible to investigate the effect of the programmein
schoolchildren. However, the results indicate that further research may be fruitful.
Practical implications – The possibility that an adapted ETS programme might lead to a reduction in
antisocial behaviour in schoolchildren should be investigated. Behavior checklists and measures of
executive function should guide the selection of individuals joining the ETS programme.
Originality/value – The findings suggest that the ETS programme might be effective outside a criminal
justice setting, as an early intervention with schoolchildren aimed at preventing later offending.
Keywords Children (age groups), Behaviour, Enhanced thinking skills, Executive function,
Antisocial behaviour, Offending
Paper type Research paper
Background
Antisocial behaviour places a huge economic burden on the UK, with the estimated cost
to agencies in England and Wales being around £3.4 billion per year, or approximately
£14 million per day (Home Office, 2004a). Since antisocial behaviour by age 10 is a
‘‘powerful predictor of the total cost of public services used by age 28’’ (Scott et al., 2001,
p. 4) and early antisocial behaviour is a significant predictor of later criminal behaviour
(Farrington et al., 2006), it is no surprise that a recent report commissioned by the
National Audit Office (Rubin et al., 2006, p. 10) proposed that ‘‘early interventions are
critical’’ to reducing antisocial behaviour.
To date, the majority of interventions aimed at reducing antisocial behaviour among young
people have tended to focus on reducing situational risk factors associated with antisocial
behaviour. For example, Farrington et al. (2006) suggested that some of the most important
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JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PRACTICE
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VOL. 15 NO. 1 2013, pp. 68-77, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794 DOI 10.1108/14636641311299095
Isabel Brunton and
Tom Hartley are based at
the Department of
Psychology, University of
York, York, UK.
The authors thank Professor
Susan Gathercole and Zoe
¨
Ashmore for their helpful
discussions, and the pupils,
school staff, prison officers and
offenders who took part in the
studies reported. The work was
carried out as part of Isabel
Brunton’s MSc Applied
Forensic Psychology course at
the University of York, which
was funded by HM Prison
Service.
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