Police Psych M3 Flashcards
police psychology is about
assessing and understanding the -job of policing and -the experience of being a police officer
researching the use of force
covergent validity
convergent validity
Convergent validity is a way to check if two different ways of measuring the same thing give similar results.
Rarely to mostly fitness for duty evaluations about use of force are
personality disorders, previous job related trauma, early career problems, inappropriate patrol styles, personal problems
cognitive triad
-thoughts about self, thoughts about world, thoughts about future
summary of topic 10
-research use approach is difficult, approach through fitness for duty evaluations
-hypotheses for excessive use of force- mental health etc
-treatment FC, RFT, crosshairs
crosshairs technique
-focus on the source of the problem
- a cue for talking about the source of the problem
-a technique for indemnifying what needs work
functional contextualism
we define what we do based on if accomplishes value based goals
relational frame therapy
our understanding of the world based on understanding network ideas
dark triad of personality
subclinical psychopathy Associated with impulsivity, lack of empathy, and aggressive behaviors.
Subclinical Narcissism: Involves grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.
everyday sadism
Refers to a personality trait where individuals take pleasure in the suffering of others, even in non-extreme or everyday situations.
Researchers wanted to see if this trait could be considered an addition to the Dark Triad, forming the Dark Tetrad.
study 1 - bug killing
Objective: To test if sadistic personalities are more likely to engage in cruel acts, like killing bugs.
Procedure: Participants were given the opportunity to kill bugs.
Findings: Sadists volunteered to kill bugs at higher rates than nonsadists.
Conclusion: Sadism is linked to a willingness to engage in harmful or cruel actions.
study 2 - willingness to harm an innocent victim
Objective: To evaluate sadistic individuals’ willingness to harm an innocent victim.
Procedure: Participants were asked if they would harm an innocent person, either easily or through more effort.
Findings:
When aggression was easy, sadism and the Dark Triad traits predicted unprovoked aggression.
Only sadists were willing to work for the opportunity to hurt an innocent person.
Conclusion: Sadism is an independent predictor of cruelty, even when it requires effort
Reidy, Zeichner, & Seibert (2011)
und that sadism, even separate from psychopathy, predicted unprovoked aggression in laboratory settings.
Chabrol, Van Leeuwen, Rodgers, & Séjourné (2009):
Found that sadistic personality predicted antisocial behavior, independent of overlap with the Dark Triad.
The events in Ferguson (2014) rekindled national discussions on race and police use of force.
Implicit-bias perspective: Officers’ biases lead to a greater likelihood of using force against Black individuals.
Counter-bias perspective: Officers use less force against Black individuals due to fear of consequences (e.g., legal, media attention).
Key Findings:
Results supported the implicit-bias perspective:
Officers may be more likely to use force against Black individuals, especially in low-crime neighborhoods.
In high-crime neighborhoods, the relationship between race and use of force was less pronounced.
Conclusion: Both theories have implications for training, though the study highlights the need for further research.
Counter-bias theory:
olice may intentionally reduce force against minorities due to fears of legal consequences or backlash.
Research suggests the potential for officers to act counter to implicit biases, fearing negative repercussions.
confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs or theories, while giving less consideration to alternative possibilities.
Belief perseverance
Belief perseverance is the tendency to hold onto one’s initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them. In other words, once we form a belief, we often continue to believe it even in the face of new information that suggests it’s wrong.
availability heuristic
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a person’s mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, or decision. This means we tend to think that events that are easier to recall are more likely to occur.
representative heuristic
The representative heuristic involves making judgments about the probability of an event based on how similar it is to a prototype. People rely on stereotypes or typical examples to judge how likely something is, even if it’s statistically unlikely.
fridell and lim study 2015
The primary aim of the study was to investigate how racial stereotypes (particularly those related to African Americans) influence police officers’ judgments in situations involving potential suspects. It aimed to examine whether race influences how police officers assess threats and make decisions.
The study found that racial stereotypes influenced police officers’ decision-making, often making them more likely to perceive African American suspects as threatening compared to their white counterparts.
he study highlighted the need for police training to address racial biases and to make officers more aware of how stereotypes can impact their judgment.
control variables
education, ethnicity, age, etc
