NCJ Number
46278
Journal
Journal of College Student Personnel Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (JULY 1976) Pages: 304-308
Date Published
1976
Length
6 pages
Annotation
TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE ATTITUDINAL AND PERSONALITY PREDICTORS OF SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE AMONG CAMPUS POLICE, 52 OFFICERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND WERE GIVEN SEVEN TESTS TO MEASURE THEIR PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDES.
Abstract
INSTRUMENTS USED INCLUDED THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY, THE PRESS TEST, THE TEST OF SOCIAL INSIGHT, THE SITUATIONAL ATTITUDE SCALE, FORM B, THE ROKEACH DOGMATISM SCALE, AND THE CALIFORNIA F SCALE. DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES WERE ALSO ASSESSED. JOB PERFORMANCE INFORMATION WAS ALSO OBTAINED. CRITERION MEASURES INCLUDED TENURE, MOST COMMENDATIONS, MOST REPRIMANDS, MOST ABSENTEEISM, SUPERVISORY RATINGS OF CLOSENESS TO THE IDEAL OFFICER, PAIRED-COMPARISON PEER RATINGS, AND A SELF-RATING AND AN IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR-RATING ON A CHECKLIST FORM. GENERALLY, THE OFFICERS SCORED IN THE AVERAGE OR NORMAL RANGE FOR ALL PREDICTORS. RESULTS YIELDED SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS ON ALL CRITERIA. HOWEVER EACH CRITERION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT, OFTEN OPPOSITE, CHARACTERISTICS. FOR INSTANCE, OFFICERS WITH THE HIGHEST PEER-RATINGS TENDED TO BE MOST AUTHORITARIAN WHILE THOSE WHO RECEIVED THE MOST COMMENDATIONS WERE NOT. NEGATIVE RACIAL ATTITUDES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE OFFICERS WHO RECEIVED THE MOST COMMENDATIONS AND THE MOST PROMOTIONS, WERE RELATED CLOSEST TO THE IDEAL OFFICER, AND GOT THE HIGHEST SUPERVISOR-RATINGS. THE MOST POSITIVELY CORRELATED CRITERIA WERE SUPERVISOR-RATING AND IDEAL OFFICER, WHILE THE MOST NEGATIVELY RELATED CRITERIA WERE TENURE AND IDEAL OFFICER. AN IMPLICATION OF THESE RESULTS IS THAT SELECTION PROCEDURES WILL HAVE TO WEIGH AND CHOOSE AMONG CRITERIA OF GOOD PERFORMANCE. FOR INSTANCE, THE SELECTION OF THE IDEAL OFFICER AS DETERMINED BY SUPERVISORS WOULD CONFLICT WITH SELECTION OF AN OFFICER ADMIRED BY PEERS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS RECOMMENDED TO VALIDATE THESE RESULTS AMONG OTHER SAMPLES. TABLES ARE PRESENTED WHICH INDICATE CROSS-VALIDATION OF THE BEST PREDICTORS FOR EACH CRITERION MEASURES, INTERCORRELATIONS OF CRITERIA FOR EACH SAMPLE IN THE CROSS-VALIDATION, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THE CRITERION MEASURES. REFERENCES ARE ALSO INCLUDED. (JAP)