Lecture 2: Police Selection and Police Stress Flashcards
assessment centre
A location where police applicants are tests using situational tests (i.e., simulations of real world policing tasks). Multiple observers assess the applicant’s behaviour
cognitive ability tests
A selection instrument used by the police whereby an individual is assessed for memory, logic, observation, comprehension, etc.
IPI
The Inwald Personality Inventory is a personality test used to assess specific personality traits and behaviours that are related to law enforcement.
job analysis
- A process whereby the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that make a good police officer are defined.
- This can be done formally (using surveys or observational methods) or informally (by asking)
MMPI
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a personality test used to assess psychopathology.
performance measure
A measure of police performance, which could include supervisor ratings, commendations, complaints, punctuality, academy success, etc.
personality tests
A selection instrument used by the police whereby an individual is assessed for various personality traits (e.g., honesty).
police selection
- The process by which police agencies select police officers from a pool of applicants.
- Applicants are assessed for physical fitness, cognitive abilities, personality, and job-related activities
predictive validity
in the context of police selection this refers to the extent to which a measure of KSAs predicts future police performance.
range restriction
A problem that arises when attempting to validate a police selection instrument, which occurs because of the screening of unqualified applicants as a result of the selection instrument being validated.
selection interview
A selection instrument used by the police whereby an applicant is asked a series of semi-structured questions that are intended to assess whether they possess particular KSAs.
acute stressor
A short-term intense stressor
adaptive coping strategies
Coping strategies that allow an individual to effectively cope when encountered with a stressor.
chronic stressor
A long-term but often less intense stressor (compared to an acute stressor).
Selye’s three stage model
A model of stress that consists of three stages: (1) Alarm - consisting of intense arousal resulting in the body mobilizing for fight or flight, (2) Resistance - consisting of an attempt by the body to adapt and stabilize, and (3) Exhaustion - consisting of physical exhaustion and illness due to the body not being able to cope with demands.
stress
The automatic state that results when the body must make changes in order to adapt to demand.
stressor
Events that people encounter that they perceive as harmful, threatening, or challenging. In the policing context stressors fall into one of four categories: (1) occupational stressors, (2) organizational stressors, (3) criminal justice stressors, or (4) public stressors.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
A law dealing with the relationship between stress and performance. According to this law, too little stress or too much stress decreases one’s ability to perform (some moderate level of stress is optimal).
how is police selection done?
- Either by screening out those with undesirable qualities or selecting in those with desirable qualities
- Screening out is more common because it’s easier
police selection vs. recruitment
police selection is not the same thing as police recruitment, which involves developing the largest pool of applicants possible
history of police selection
- 1917: Terman uses IQ tests to select officers in California (minimum score of 80 is recommended)
- 1922: Thurstone uses IQ tests to select police officers in Detroit (police officers are unintelligent)
- 1950: Humm and Humm use psychological tests to select police officers in Los Angeles with reasonable degree of accuracy
- 1960s-70s: Psychological and psychiatric screening procedures standard in many agencies
- Today: background checks, medical exams, physical fitness tests, selections interviews, cognitive ability tests; personality assessments, etc.
police selection in Canada
- There are some Provincial and Territorial differences
- All agencies conduct background checks and require medical exams
- Most use cognitive ability tests and personality tests
- Some have applicants take a polygraph, but others don’t
- Many agencies view a multi-hurdle approach (you must pass each level to continue on in the process)
two stages of police selection
job analysis & construction and validation
issues with job analysis
- Stability of KSAs over time
- Different KSAs for different jobs
- Agreement on KSAs
key KSAs for police work
include honesty, reliability, sensitivity, communication skills, motivation, problem solving skills, teamwork
construction and validation
Develop an instrument to measure these qualities and ensure these qualities are related to performance (predictive validity)
issues with construction and validation
- Deciding on performance measure (different performance measures provide different results)
- Range restriction (screening of unqualified applicants provides restricted range of scores)
key measures of construction and validation
include academy performance, supervisor ratings, complaints, etc.
selection instruments
- selection interview
- psychological tests (cognitive ability & personality)
- assessment centres
what selection instruments are common in Canada?
selection interview & cognitive tests
problems with selection interviews
- Low interviewer agreement
- Faking good
- Research on predictive validity is mixed
what do selection interviews examine?
- Problem-solving
- Conscientiousness and reliability
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Self control and composure
problem with cogntive ability tests
moderate predictive validity (higher for training success)
problem with the MMPI
poor predictive validity
problem with the IPI
moderate predictive validity (slightly better than the MMPI)
problem with assessment centres
moderate predictive validity
predictive validity of selection interviews
0.18 (academy); 0.19 (on the job)
predictive validity of cognitvie ability tests
0.41 (academy); 0.16 (on the job)
predictive validity of the MMPI
0.26 (academy); 0.25 (on the job)
predictive validity of the IPI
0.28 (academy); 0.32 (on the job)
predictive validity of situational tests
0.14 (academy); 0.20 (on the job)
why do selection methods have such low predictive validity?
- The socialization process of being hired as a police officer
- It’s impossible to predict how personal issues will impact one’s performance
good vs. bad stressors
It does not matter whether the stress is caused by a pleasant or unpleasant thing or whether it results in good or bad things
police stressors
events that police officers encounter that they perceive as harmful, threatening, or challenging
what types of stress were historical emphasized?
occupational stressors
types of stressors
occupational, organizational, criminal justice, and public
examples of occupational stressors
- killing someone
- fellow officer killed
- high speed chase
examples of organizational stressors
- inadequate support
- excessive paperwork
- promotion competition
examples of criminal justice stressors
- lenient sentences
- legal technicalities
- defence lawyers
examples of public stressors
- public harassment
- press acccounts
- quiet neighbours (“We don’t talk to police”)
what forms of stress are the most stressful?
- Research indicates that all of these stressors can be stressful
- Different stressors will appear more stressful depending on how we phrase survey questions
- More important than category: stress where high demand is paired with low control
consequences of police stress
- Acute and chronic stress can have consequences for officers
- Psychological consequences (e.g., burnout) have often been recognized, but physiological and job-related consequences also occur
types of consequences of police stress
- physiological
- psychological
- job-related
examples of physiological consequences of stress
- weight gain
- stomach ulcers
- death
examples of psychological consequences of stress
- depression
- burnout
- alcohol abuse
examples of job-related consequences of stress
- low morale
- absenteeism
- turnover
body functioning across the Selye’s Three-Stage Model
- decreases strongly, then increases slightly during the alarm stage as you begin coping
- increases if you are engaging in active coping mechanisms and then decreases if you are reaching exhaustion during the resistance stage
- decreases strongly during the exhaustion stage
is all stress bad?
Some stress is bad but other stress is good
distress
a condition characterized by emotional upset and/or physical strain (e.g., “I’m stressed out”)
eustress
pleasurable stress, even though physical and mental stress is placed on the body it has a positive effect (e.g., “I’m in the zone”)
positive responses to stress
- Invest more in preparing
- Work harder
- Focus energy
- Preserve oneself
stress and work performance
performance is optimal with moderate levels of stress
stress moderators
- Experience
- Support
- Personality
- Coping strategies
stress prevention techniques
probably more important, but less common (e.g., coping and relaxation techniques)
stress management techniques
common (e.g., employee assistance, peer counselling, critical incident debriefing, etc.), but evidence for effectiveness varies
