To Cheat or Not to Cheat: Impacts of Learning Disability Status and Impulsivity on Cheating

摘要

Impulsivity is associated with academic dishonesty and deficits/disorders related to learning disabilities (LD). Despite separate connections made between impulsivity and academic cheating and between impulsivity and LD, there is little information in the literature regarding whether the impulsivity feature of some LD is related to higher rates of academic dishonesty among students with LD. We measured history of academic dishonesty, tolerance of academic dishonesty, and impulsivity in 83 Amazon Mechanical Turk participants. An independent samples t-test revealed that participants with LD exhibited higher levels of dysfunctional impulsivity compared to neurotypical (NT) peers. Dysfunctional impulsivity was associated with increased cheating tolerance. Individuals with LD also reported cheating on more types of assignments (e.g., papers, tests, quizzes). This data demonstrates a connection between learning disabilities and impulsivity that researchers can further explore using experimental methods. These results have important implications for educators.