Using a Solomon four-group quasi-experimental design to assess pretesting effects, this study examined the impact of training, impulsivity, and education on law enforcement officers’ (N = 432) adherence to rape myths and knowledge of victim reporting behaviors.
Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of sexual assault investigations training using experimental designs. Existing studies have not examined the impact of officers’ levels of impulsivity and education on training effectiveness. Ordinary least squares (OLS) models were estimated to examine main effects of training and moderating effects of impulsivity and education on training for the outcome variables. Results indicated that training, impulsivity, and education predicted improvements in attitudinal and cognitive outcomes; however, neither impulsivity nor education moderated or changed the effectiveness of training. In addition, training effects held over time, and there was no evidence of pretesting effects. Findings from this study improve understanding of police training in sexual assault investigations and provide methodological advancements for police training evaluations. (publisher abstract modified)