NCJ Number
67455
Journal
ABSTRACTS ON POLICE SCIENCE Volume: 7 Issue: 6 Dated: (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1979) Pages: 359-367
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH POLICEMEN STEREOTYPE PERSONS WITH CERTAIN EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS AS SUSPECTS AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF SUCH STEREOTYPING TO ISOLATION.
Abstract
A TOTAL OF 137 PATROL POLICEMEN FROM 12 MUNICIPAL POLICE FORCES IN THE NETHERLANDS WERE TEST SUBJECTS. THE DEGREE OF STEREOTYPING WAS MEASURED ON THE BASIS OF THREE EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS: SKIN COLOR, SEX, AND NEATNESS. SUBJECTS WERE SHOWN SLIDES DEPICTING PERSONS WHO DIFFERED IN VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SKIN COLOR, SEX, AND GROOMING. TEST SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE TO WHAT EXTENT THEY THOUGHT THE PERSON THAT WAS SHOWN WOULD BE A LIKELY SUSPECT FOR THREE OFFENSES--CAR THEFT, PICKPOCKETING, AND HIT AND RUN ACCIDENTS. THE DEGREE OF SOCIAL ISOLATION OF THE TEST SUBJECTS WAS ALSO ASSESSED BY A 51-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS INDICATED PATROL POLICEMEN DO RELATE SUSPICION TO EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS WHEN CONFRONTED WITH SLIDES DEPICTING PERSONS ON WHOM NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS SUPPLIED. MEN ARE MORE READILY SUSPECTED THAN WOMEN, UNTIDY PERSONS MORE READILY THAN NEAT ONES, AND NONWHITES MORE READILY THAN WHITES. SEX IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC AND SKIN COLOR THE LEAST IMPORTANT. SUSPICIOUSNESS WAS FOUND TO BE RELATED IN A HIGHLY COMPLEX WAY TO THE VARIABLES TESTED AND THE TYPE OF OFFENSE. THE ORDER OF IMPORTANCE OF THE VARIABLES DIFFERED FOR THE OFFENSE. FOR CAR THEFT AND HIT AND RUN, THE ORDER WAS SEX, NEATNESS, COLOR, WHILE FOR PICKPOCKETING, IT WAS NEATNESS, SKIN COLOR, AND SEX. A FACTOR ANALYSIS APPLIED TO THE ISOLATION QUESTIONNAIRE SHOWED THAT RESPONDENTS DID NOT FEEL ISOLATED IN RELATION TO THE PUBLIC, WITHIN THE FORCE, OR IN PRIVATE LIFE. FOR PART 1 OF THE EXPERIMENT, SEE NCJRS 67479. REFERENCES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (MJW)