TROY (MI) - FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN POLICE OFFICER SELECTION

• NCJ Number: 57150
• Author(s): M L LIFTER; D P JONES
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 53 pages
• Corporate Author: Arthur Young and Co
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE FEASIBILITY OF ADDING A PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE TO A POLICE DEPARTMENT'S OFFICER SELECTION PROGRAM WAS STUDIED.

Abstract

THE EMPHASIS IN THE STUDY WAS ON WHETHER POLICE OFFICERS PERFORM IN SITUATIONS WHERE CERTAIN PERSONALITY TRAITS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EFFECTIVE JOB PERFORMANCE. BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE STUDY TEAM IN ANALYZING POLICE OFFICERS' JOBS AND ON INTERVIEWS WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS' COMMAND-LEVEL PERSONNEL, CHECKLISTS WERE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POLICE OFFICERS' JOB. THE FOCUS OF THIS ANALYSIS WAS ON THE ENTRY-LEVEL OFFICER POSITION. THE POLICE ACTIVITY CHECKLIST, NOTING 76 DISTINCT TASKS PERFORMED BY MANY POLICE PERSONNEL, WAS USED BY CITY POLICE OFFICERS IN DESCRIBING THEIR POSITIONS. THE JOB REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST WAS ALSO ADMINISTERED TO POLICE OFFICERS TO RATE THE IMPORTANCE OF 36 ABILITIES AND 29 PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS WITH REGARD TO SUCCESSFUL JOB PERFORMANCE. CERTAIN JOB REQUIREMENTS SUGGESTED THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE IN EVALUATING A CANDIDATE'S APPROPRIATENESS FOR A JOB, INCLUDING ACTIVITY LEVEL AND PERSISTENCE, ACCEPTANCE OF WORK DEMANDS, INTERPERSONAL ORIENTATION, ASSERTIVENESS, RESPONSIBILITY, HONESTY/INTEGRITY, DEPENDABILITY, AND EMOTIONAL STABILITY. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE REVEALED THAT THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES, MEASURED BY PERSONALITY TESTS, ARE RELATED TO VARIOUS CRITERIA OF POLICE OFFICER EFFECTIVENESS: ENERGETIC BEHAVIOR AND ACTION ORIENTATION, INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-RELIANCE, CAPACITY FOR EFFICIENT AND RESOURCEFUL THOUGHT, APPROPRIATE IMPULSE CONTROL, LOW ANXIETY AND LOW SELF-DOUBT, INTERPERSONAL ORIENTATION, STRESS TOLERANCE, AND COOPERATION. EXAMINATION OF TRAITS RELATED TO POLICE OFFICER PERFORMANCE IN THE LITERATURE INDICATED CONSIDERABLE OVERLAP WITH JOB REQUIREMENTS DISCOVERED THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S JOB ANALYSIS. JOB REQUIREMENTS IN POLICE OFFICER POSITIONS CAN BE ASSESSED THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION METHODS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THIS FINDING ARE OFFERED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE POLICE ACTIVITY CHECKLIST, THE JOB REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST, AND REFERENCES. (DEP)