The catalyst model suggests that adult criminality arises from the interaction of genetic and proximal social influences such as fam-15 ily influences, but that distal social influences such as media exposure have only negligible influence. This article uses data from a 13-year longitudinal study of adolescent health to examine the catalyst model. As expected by the catalyst model, adult criminality was best explained by a confluence of genetic and proximal social 20 risk factors. The influence

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... of media exposure on adult criminality was negligible. Implications of these findings for both theory and policy are discussed.