research methods and police psychology

Question 1

what are the two types of independent variables in forensic psychology research?

Answer 1

• estimator variables (present at the time of crime and cannot be changed)
• system variables (may be manipulated to increase the effectiveness of procedures)

Question 2

what are the most common research designs in forensic psychology?

Answer 2

correlational and experimental

Question 3

when is the use of deception acceptable in research?

Answer 3

• when it poses a minimum risk to participants
• when there is a post-experiment debriefing
• when sharing the real purpose of the experiment will invalidate the results

Question 4

name some of the clinical assessments used in research

Answer 4

• self-report
• interviews
• standardized tests
• projective tests
• behavioral observation
• psychophysiological tests

Question 5

what elements are unique to police culture/law enforcement?

Answer 5

• hostile and often dangerous work environment
• legitimate power to create, display, and maintain authority over the public
• values control, authority, solidarity, and isolation

Question 6

what are the 4 categories of common tasks performed by police psychologists?

Answer 6

• assessment
• intervention
• operational support
• consulting and research

Question 7

explain screening out procedures in police selection

Answer 7

• try to eliminate the candidates who demonstrate psychopathology and emotional instability, or cannot perform the job in a safe manner
• usually when you don’t have a lot of applicants to begin with

Question 8

explain the screening-in procedures in police selection

Answer 8

• identify those attributes that distinguish one candidate as being potentially more effective than another
• used when there are many candidates

Question 9

what are the two main stages of the development of police selection instruments?

Answer 9

• the job analysis stage
• the construction and validation stage

Question 10

explain the job analysis stage of the dev of police selection instruments

Answer 10

• identifying KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) that make a good police officer

Question 11

what are common problems with KSAs

Answer 11

• need to update frequently bc valuable skills needed will change over time
• no consensus on what the core KSAs should be

Question 12

what is the validation measure that is the most important for police selection instruments?

Answer 12

predictive validity (is there a relationship between scores obtained from selection instruments and measures of actual job performance)

Question 13

what are some of the instruments used in the construction and validation stage?

Answer 13

• selection interview
• psychological tests
• assessment centres

Question 14

what are the types of psychological tests used in police selection?

Answer 14

• cognitive ability tests
• personality tests (MMPI-2 and Inwald Personality Inventory)

Question 15

what is the use of an assessment centre in police selection?

Answer 15

• simulations of real-life policing tasks to observe the behaviour of the applicants

Question 16

what is police discretion?

Answer 16

the freedom that a police officer has to decide what should be done in a given situation

Question 17

why is police discretion necessary?

Answer 17

• it is impossible to establish laws that adequately encompass all the possible situations an officer can encounter, and therefore, a degree of discretion is inevitable

Question 18

how must discretion be exercised for it to be advantageous?

Answer 18

in a non-discriminatory manner

Question 19

what are the factors that influence police discretion?

Answer 19

• seriousness of the crime
• strength of the evidence
• the victim asks for an arrest to be made
• the victim and offender are strangers to each other
• the suspect is rude to the officer

Question 20

what are the four areas where discretion is commonly used?

Answer 20

• youth offenders
• offenders with mental illness
• domestic violence
• use of force situations

Question 21

what are some alternatives to arrests for youth offenders?

Answer 21

• formal warning
• community referral
• family conferences
• resolution conference

Question 22

what is a resolution conference (youth offenders)

Answer 22

• involves the offender n their family, the victim n their family, n the police
• come up with a plan to
  
  • compensate the victim
  • penalize the youth
  • provide support to the youth’s family
  • establish a monitoring scheme to ensure
    compliance with the program

Question 23

what are some alternatives to arrests for people with mental health issues?

Answer 23

• mental hospital or informal fix

Question 24

what are some alternatives to arrests for domestic violence cases?

Answer 24

• community referral, separation

Question 25

how is a use-of-force model useful for police discretion?

Answer 25

it helps officers choose the appropriate intervention option based on the subject’s behavior and the totality of the situation

Question 26

what are some of the sources of police stress?

Answer 26

• intra-organizational (excessive paperwork)
• inter-organizational (lack of cooperation btwn different agencies)
• occupational (human suffering)
• criminal justice (unfavorable court decisions)
• public (distorted press accounts)

Question 27

what are some of the consequences of police stress?

Answer 27

• physical health problems
• psychological and personal problems
• job performance problems