This study uses data from Statistics Netherlands, containing CITO-test scores of 143 cybercriminals.
The CITO-test is a standardized test and has been shown to have a high positive correlation with IQ-scores.
A discordant sibling design is used to control for unmeasured confounding by family factors.
Cybercriminals have higher CITO-test scores than traditional criminals and lower scores than non-criminals.
In our highly digitalized society, cybercrime has become a common crime. However, because research into cybercriminals is in its infancy, our knowledge about cybercriminals is still limited. One of the main considerations is whether cybercriminals have higher intellectual capabilities than traditional criminals or even the general population. Although criminological studies clearly show that traditional criminals have lower intellectual capabilities, little is known about the relationship between cybercrime and intelligence.
The current study adds to the literature by exploring the relationship between CITO-test scores and cybercrime in the Netherlands. The CITO final test is a standardized test for primary school students—usually taken at the age of 11–12—and highly correlated with IQ-scores. Data from Statistics Netherlands were used to compare CITO-test scores of 143 apprehended cybercriminals with those of 143 apprehended traditional criminals and 143 non-criminals, matched on age, sex, and country of birth. Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses were used to compare CITO test scores between cybercriminals, traditional criminals, and non-criminals. Additionally, a discordant sibling design was used to control for unmeasured confounding by family factors.
Findings: reveal that cybercriminals have statistically-significantly higher CITO test scores compared to traditional criminals and statistically-significantly lower CITO test scores compared to non-criminals.
[Keywords: intellectual capabilities, cybercrime, perpetrators, computer trespassing]