NCJ Number
41511
Date Published
1976
Length
26 pages
Annotation
A STUDY CONDUCTED TO LEND FURTHER SUPPORT TO THE VALIDITY OF TEST 21, AN 80 ITEM VERBAL ABILITY TEST FOR SELECTING ENTRY LEVEL PATROLMEN IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Abstract
TEST 21 SCORES, TRAINING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND JOB PERFORMANCE MEASURES WERE OBTAINED ON 263 RECRUITS ENTERING THE D.C. POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY FROM DECEMBER, 1973 TO MAY, 1975. OF THE 263 PATROLMEN, 121 WERE WHITE, 141 WERE BLACK AND ONE WAS SPANISH-SURNAMED. THE TRAINING CRITERIA CONSISTED OF THE NUMBER OF WEEKS IT TOOK EACH RECRUIT TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING PROGRAM AND FINAL GRADE AVERAGE IN TRAINING. THE JOB PERFORMANCE CRITERION CONSISTED OF THE OPERATIONAL SUPERVISOR RATINGS USED BY THE D.C. POLICE DEPARTMENT. TEST 21 WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO FINAL GRADE AVERAGE IN TRAINING FOR THE TOTAL SAMPLE AND FOR THE BLACK AND WHITE SUBGROUPS SEPARATELY. FURTHER, THE TEST WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH WEEKS OF TRAINING FOR THE TOTAL SAMPLE AND FOR THE BLACK SAMPLE. THE RESULTS ALSO INDICATED THAT TEST 21 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO EACH OF THE COGNITIVE DIMENSIONS INCLUDED IN THE SUPERVISOR RATINGS OF JOB PERFORMANCE. TESTS FOR THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORRELATIONS INDICATED THAT THE TEST WAS EQUALLY VALID FOR BLACKS AND WHITES FOR BOTH THE TRAINING CRITERIA AND JOB PERFORMANCE CRITERIA.(AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...TWH