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Predicting patrol officer performance from a psychological assessment battery: A predictive validity study

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Abstract

The psychological assessment battery is an integral part of the selection process used to select patrol officer applicants. Unlike all other procedures used in the selection process, the psychological assessment has not been adequately validated. The purpose of this study was an attempt to provide validation data for a psychological assessment battery. The battery consisted of the Nelson-Denny, Shipley-Hartford, MMPI, and the Motivational Analysis Test (MAT). Performance measures included various measures of training academy performance and field training performance. A stepwise regression and MANOVA/Discriminant Analysis indicated that the psychological tests did predict performance, although an exact predictive equation could not be developed due to the high intercorrelations between predictor variables.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest Texas State University, Texas, USA

    Wayman C. Mullins

  2. San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio, USA

    Michael M. Mains

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  1. Wayman C. Mullins
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  2. Michael M. Mains
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Additional information

This research was sponsored in part by a grant from the School of Applied Arts and Technology, Southwest Texas State University.

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Mullins, W.C., Mains, M.M. Predicting patrol officer performance from a psychological assessment battery: A predictive validity study. JPCP 10, 15–25 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02812865

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