EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT POLICE ROLES ON ATTITUDES AND VALUES

• NCJ Number: 31234
• Journal: Journal of Psychology Volume: 91 Dated: (1975) Pages: 57-64
• Author(s): H M Carlson; M S Sutton
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Journal Press
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES AND VALUES CONCERNING AUTHORITARIANISM, PUNITIVENESS, AND ETHICS BETWEEN POLICE AND NONPOLICE, AND AMONG POLICE WHO FUNCTION IN DIFFERENT POLICE ROLES.

Abstract

THREE HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED: (A) AUTHORITARIANISM AND PUNITIVENESS WILL DIFFER AS A FUNCTION OF PARTICULAR POLICE ROLES. (B) POLICE AND POLICE SCIENCE MAJORS WILL HAVE MORE PUNITIVE ATTITUDES THAN NONPOLICE. (C) POLICE WILL HAVE A GREATER COMMITMENT TO THE ETHICS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, WHILE NONPOLICE WILL HAVE A GREATER COMMITMENT TO THE ETHICS OF PERSONAL CONSCIENCE. SIX GROUPS OF SUBJECTS WERE EXAMINED: A NONPOLICE CONTROL GROUP, POLICE SCIENCE MAJORS, RECRUITS AT A POLICE ACADEMY, JAIL PERSONNEL, PATROL BUREAU PERSONNEL, AND DETECTIVE BUREAU PERSONNEL. SUBJECTS WERE 198 MALES, INCLUDING 127 POLICE SUBJECTS AND 71 NONPOLICE SUBJECTS. RESULTS OF A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE SUPPORTED ALL THREE HYPOTHESES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)