Measuring Executive Functions in Female Delinquents Using the Cognitive Assessment System.

Executive functions in 100 incarcerated adolescent female offenders were examined using the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS). As hypothesized, mean scores for the sample were significantly lower than norms on measures of Planning and Successive Processing. Contrary to our hypothesis, the Attention mean did not differ significantly from the normative data. The Simultaneous mean was also significantly lower than norms although no hypothesis had been made and only a small effect size was noted. These findings suggest that incarcerated delinquent females can be differentiated from non-delinquent females on the basis of specific neuropsychological deficits in much the same way that male delinquents can be differentiated from non-delinquent males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]