Hinduja, S., & Ingram, J. R. (2008). Self-Control and Ethical Beliefs on the Social Learning of Intellectual Property Theft. Western Criminology Review, 9(2), 52-72.
Social learning theory has been identified as a strong predictor of various computer-related crimes, especially intellectual property theft (Higgins and Makin 2004; Hinduja 2006; Rogers 2001; Skinner and Fream 1997). Undoubtedly, the relationship is more complex, as other factors appear to affect one’s proclivity to be influenced by the social learning components. The current study examined survey response data from over two thousand university students to clarify potential interactive effects that measures of an individual’s self-control and ethical beliefs might have on the relationship between social learning and music piracy. The results indicated that self-control conditioned the effect that differential association and differential reinforcement had on levels of music piracy. In addition, ethical beliefs in piracy laws conditioned the effect that differential reinforcement and imitation had on levels of music piracy.
