Lecture 22

Question 1

What is a public safety officer and who does it include?

Answer 1

An individual serving the community in an official capacity, which can be paid or unpaid. Includes

• police
• fire fighters
• emergency personnel
• correctional officers

Question 2

Who is not considered a public safety officer?

Answer 2

Military

Question 3

At what point in the interview process do individuals in the US see a psychologist for evaluation?

Answer 3

Once they have a conditional employment contract

Question 4

Describe Screening IN

Answer 4

Looking for characteristics considered suitable for the job

Question 5

Describe Screening OUT

Answer 5

Looking for undesirable characteristics and eliminating the individual from further consideration

Question 6

Which of the screening processes is it better to be good at and why?

Answer 6

Screening OUT, screening in comes at the cost of discrimination

Question 7

What are the California POST Dimension used for?

Answer 7

• Looking at suitability

- All dimensions must be met in the individual, without one they will not continue

Question 8

State the 10 California POST Dimension levels

Answer 8

1. Emotional Regulation and Stress Tolerance
2. Avoiding Damaging and Excessive Risk-Taking Behaviour
3. Impulse Control and Attention to Safety
4. Assertiveness/Persuasiveness (extreme cases are problematic)
5. Social Competence
6. Teamwork
7. Decision-making and judgement
8. Adaptability and flexibility (very commonly failed)
9. Conscientiousness/Dependability
10. Integrity/Ethics

Question 9

Describe a Job Analysis/Competency Assessment

Answer 9

Looks at how able the individual is to complete the tasks

Question 10

If an individual has an undesirable but unrelated to the job characteristic, what is the course of action?

Answer 10

They cannot be marked down if the undesirable characteristic is not relevant

Question 11

Describe a Psychological Test

Answer 11

Test of abnormal and normal functioning

Question 12

Describe a Personal History Test

Answer 12

A formal background assessment, looking at records and past employment

Question 13

Describe Situational Judgement Tests

Answer 13

Observing behaviour in-vivo, often using actors

Question 14

Describe the use of Mental Health Records

Answer 14

• Mostly not available as the applicants wouldn’t have these

- Only focussing at the degree in which illness would impair the individual in the job

Question 15

What is the purpose of a Clinical Interview?

Answer 15

Review/evaluate all the test results

Question 16

Describe the process of Suitability Determination

Answer 16

• Generate interfering risk factors that would directly affect the individuals ability to do the job
• Identify mitigating factors
• Evaluate whether this warrants disqualification

Question 17

Describe the issues in evaluation

Answer 17

• Individuals may underreport and engage in positive impression management (which is difficult to pick up on)
• Records/interviews may have inconsistencies

Question 18

What are three examples of ‘Abnormal’ Functioning Tests?

Answer 18

1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-3_
   - most frequently used for screening personnel
2. Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
   - good validity for police officers
3. Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory )MCMI)
   - NOT APPROPRIATE as applying individuals don’t have conditions