Revisiting the Suppression Relationship Between Social Learning and Self-Control on Software Piracy

This study attempted to confirm the existence of a suppression situation among social learning, low self-control, and software piracy measures. Using a cross-sectional study of middle and high school students, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the measurement of a second-order social learning factor and the existence of a mediated suppression situation of low self-control through social learning on software piracy. The existence of a suppression situation was confirmed when low self-control was modeled with an indirect effect through social learning: The direct effect of low self-control on software piracy flipped direction from positive to negative and social learning’s direct effect size increased. This suppression situation was only demonstrated when social learning was modeled as a second-order latent factor. Future research of social learning should consider how its indicators are measured and the importance for the use of all social learning subdomains.