NCJ Number
129988
Journal
Journal of American Police Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (1990) Pages: 85-92
Date Published
1990
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A sample of 178 police and 33 firefighter applicants, rejected by appointing authorities in New Jersey between 1985 and 1988 for reasons of mental unfitness who appealed that decision, is studied to determine trends in psychological testing for these candidates.
Abstract
Because there is more than one appointing authority, and because there is no requirement for psychological testing by the State Department of Personnel, there have been a variety of approaches and instruments used. The psychological tests administered fall into six general categories including intelligence, interest and aptitude, projective, self-report, situational, and special aptitude. This study found that sentence completion tests are the most generally used projective instruments, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) remains the most frequently used nonprojective test. In the years since a 1978-1981 study, there has been a significant decrease in the use of projective and self-report tests and a 4-fold increase in the administration of interest and aptitude tests. 4 tables, 1 note, and 5 references