What's in a name? Maybe a criminal future
Boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Ivan.
David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of male juveniles in the population. The researchers constructed a popularity-name index (PNI) for each name. For example, the PNI for Michael is 100, the most frequently given name during the period. The PNI for David is 50, a name given half as frequently as Michael. The PNI is approximately 1 for names such as Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm.
Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites.
The findings, announced today, are detailed in the journal Social Science Quarterly.
While the names are likely not the cause of crime, the researchers argue that "they are connected to factors that increase the tendency to commit crime, such as a disadvantaged home environment, residence in a county with low socioeconomic status, and households run by one parent."
"Also, adolescents with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships," according to a statement released by the journal's publisher. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they consciously or unconsciously dislike their names."
The findings could help officials " identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs," the authors conclude.
在美國，男孩子的名字叫Michael和David的犯罪率要比叫Ernest或者 Ivan的低很多。
賓州希彭斯堡大學(xué)的David E. Kalist和Daniel Y. Lee將人口中男性青少年犯罪的名字和男性犯罪的名字進(jìn)行對(duì)比。研究人員為每個(gè)名字構(gòu)造了一個(gè)大眾姓名指數(shù)。比如：Michael的指數(shù)是100，是該時(shí)期使用最頻繁的教名。David的指數(shù)是50，使用率是Michael的一半。像Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem,和Malcolm等名字的指數(shù)大約為1.
結(jié)果表明，不考慮種族因素，有著不常用的名字的少年更容易從事犯罪活動(dòng)。不管是黑人還是白人，最不常用的名字都與青少年犯罪有關(guān)系。
今天所公布的研究結(jié)果在《社會(huì)科學(xué)季刊》中有詳細(xì)記載。雖然名字不是引起犯罪的原因，但是研究人員仍然主張名字與增加犯罪趨向的因素有關(guān)，例如不利的家庭環(huán)境，居住在社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)地位低的城鎮(zhèn)，或者單親家庭。
雜志的出版人解釋該聲明說“當(dāng)然，因?yàn)楸煌吶说膶?duì)待不通，有著使用率低的名字的少年更易于犯罪?！薄坝兄怀Ｊ褂玫拿值纳倌暌讓⒎缸锔吨T行動(dòng)也因?yàn)樗麄冇幸庾R(shí)或者無意識(shí)的討厭他們的名字?！?BR> 作者推斷：研究結(jié)果可以幫助官方確認(rèn)那些處于高度犯罪或者再犯危險(xiǎn)的個(gè)人，從而有效的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和確定調(diào)解方案。
Boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Ivan.
David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of male juveniles in the population. The researchers constructed a popularity-name index (PNI) for each name. For example, the PNI for Michael is 100, the most frequently given name during the period. The PNI for David is 50, a name given half as frequently as Michael. The PNI is approximately 1 for names such as Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm.
Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites.
The findings, announced today, are detailed in the journal Social Science Quarterly.
While the names are likely not the cause of crime, the researchers argue that "they are connected to factors that increase the tendency to commit crime, such as a disadvantaged home environment, residence in a county with low socioeconomic status, and households run by one parent."
"Also, adolescents with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships," according to a statement released by the journal's publisher. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they consciously or unconsciously dislike their names."
The findings could help officials " identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs," the authors conclude.
在美國，男孩子的名字叫Michael和David的犯罪率要比叫Ernest或者 Ivan的低很多。
賓州希彭斯堡大學(xué)的David E. Kalist和Daniel Y. Lee將人口中男性青少年犯罪的名字和男性犯罪的名字進(jìn)行對(duì)比。研究人員為每個(gè)名字構(gòu)造了一個(gè)大眾姓名指數(shù)。比如：Michael的指數(shù)是100，是該時(shí)期使用最頻繁的教名。David的指數(shù)是50，使用率是Michael的一半。像Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem,和Malcolm等名字的指數(shù)大約為1.
結(jié)果表明，不考慮種族因素，有著不常用的名字的少年更容易從事犯罪活動(dòng)。不管是黑人還是白人，最不常用的名字都與青少年犯罪有關(guān)系。
今天所公布的研究結(jié)果在《社會(huì)科學(xué)季刊》中有詳細(xì)記載。雖然名字不是引起犯罪的原因，但是研究人員仍然主張名字與增加犯罪趨向的因素有關(guān)，例如不利的家庭環(huán)境，居住在社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)地位低的城鎮(zhèn)，或者單親家庭。
雜志的出版人解釋該聲明說“當(dāng)然，因?yàn)楸煌吶说膶?duì)待不通，有著使用率低的名字的少年更易于犯罪?！薄坝兄怀Ｊ褂玫拿值纳倌暌讓⒎缸锔吨T行動(dòng)也因?yàn)樗麄冇幸庾R(shí)或者無意識(shí)的討厭他們的名字?！?BR> 作者推斷：研究結(jié)果可以幫助官方確認(rèn)那些處于高度犯罪或者再犯危險(xiǎn)的個(gè)人，從而有效的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和確定調(diào)解方案。