HIGHER EDUCATION AND POLICE - ATTITUDINAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FRESHMAN AND SENIOR POLICE COLLEGE STUDENTS

• NCJ Number: 7908
• Journal: JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW, CRIMINOLOGY AND POLICE SCIENCE Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Dated: (SEPTEMBER 1972) Pages: 396-401
• Author(s): I B GULLER
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Williams and Wilkins Co
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

EFFECT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON POLICEMEN'S LEVEL OF AUTHORITARIANISM, LEVEL OF PUNITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD SOCIAL DEVIANTS, AND AMOUNT OF SELF ESTEEM.

Abstract

THE STUDY SHOWED THAT THE POLICE STUDENTS SAMPLED WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DOGMATIC THAN A RANDOMLY SELECTED GROUP OF LARGELY UPPER MIDDLE CLASS, PREDOMINANTLY WHITE, SUBURBAN DWELLING AND LIBERALLY ORIENTED STUDENTS, WHO WERE MUCH YOUNGER AND WERE NOT EXPOSED TO THE CONSERVATIVE TRADITIONS OF POLICE ORGANIZATIONS. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THOSE POLICE STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO COLLEGE ARE LESS DOGMATIC THAN THOSE WHOSE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE HAS JUST BEGUN. ALTHOUGH THE FINDINGS ARE NOT STATISTICALLY POTENT, THERE IS EVIDENCE FROM THIS STUDY THAT MORE EXPOSURE TO COLLEGE RESULTS IN LESS NEGATIVE SELF ESTEEM AND AT THE SAME TIME DIMINISHES HARD LINE OR PUNITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD OTHERS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)