A growing body of evidence suggests that the performance of police officers depends on individual dispositions. Although predictive studies of police performance using personality measures often focus on academy training, in this study the authors fitted a longitudinal structural equation model to examine the predictive validity of the training process for actual performance after graduation. To do so, the authors used behavioral and self-reported personality measures as predictors in a sample of 2,010 police candidates enrolled at the Catalan Institute for Public Safety. While academic qualifications alone predicted 27.3% of performance variance, the predictive power was greatly improved when training was included as a mediator of personal dispositions. The full final model accounted for 60% of performance variance. Results suggest that actual job performance is indeed influenced by personality, but that this influence is mediated by training.
Aamodt, M.G. (2004a). Law enforcement selection: Research summaries . Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum.
2.
Aamodt, M.G. (2004b). Research in law enforcement selection. Boca Raton, FL: Broken Walker Publishing.
3.
Arthur, W., Day, E.A., McNelly, T.L., & Edens, P.S. (2003). A meta-analysis of the criterion-related validity of assessment center dimensions. Personnel Psychology, 56, 125-154.
4.
Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1-26.
5.
Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (2005). Yes, personality matters: Moving on to more important matters. Human Performance, 18, 359-372.
6.
Barrick, M.R., Mount, M.K., & Judge, T.A. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9, 9-30.
7.
Bishop, G.D., Tong, E.M.W., Diong, W.M., Enkelmann, H.C., Why, Y.P., Khader, M., et al. (2001). The relationship between coping and personality among police officers in Singapore. Journal of Research in Personality, 35, 353-374.
8.
Black, J. (2000). Personality testing and police selection: Utility of the "Big Five." New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 35, 353-374.
9.
Browne, M.W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136-162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
10.
Cattell, R.B., Cattell, A.K., & Cattell, H.E.P. (1993). Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (5th ed.). Champaign, IL: Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, Inc.
11.
Christoffersson, A. (1977). Two-step weighted least squares factor analysis of dichotomized variables. Psychometrika, 40, 433-438.
12.
Colom, R., Escorial, S., Shih, P.C., & Privado, J. (2006). Fluid intelligence, memory span, and temperament difficulties predict academic performance of young adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 1503-1514.
13.
Conard, M.A. (2006). Aptitude is not enough: How personality and behavior predict academic performance. Journal of Research in Personality , 40, 339-346.
14.
Cortina, J.M., Doherty, M.L., Schmitt, N., Kaufman, G., & Smith, R.G. (1992). The "Big Five" personality factors in the IPI and the MMPI: Predictors of police performance. Personnel Psychology, 45, 119-140.
Costello, R.M., Schoenfeld, L.S., & Kobos, J.C. (1982). Police applicant screening: An analogue study . Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 216-221.
17.
Coulton, G.F., & Feild, H.S. (1995). Using assessment-centers in selecting entry-level police officers: Extravagance or justified expense? Public Personnel Management, 24, 223-254.
18.
Detrick, P., Chibnall, J.T., & Luebbert, M.C. (2004). The revised NEO personality inventory as a predictor of police academy performance. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 676-694.
19.
Drees, S.A., Ones, D.S., Cullen, M.J., Spilberg, S.W., & Viswesvaran, C. (2003, April). Personality assessment in police officer screening: Mandates and practices. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Orlando, FL.
20.
Entwistle, N. (1972). Personality and academic performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 42, 137-151.
21.
Fabricatore, J., Azen, S., Schoentgen, S., & Snibbe, H. (1978). Predicting performance of police officers using the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. American Journal of Community Psychology, 6, 63-69.
22.
Funder, D. (2008). Persons, situations and person-situation interactions . In O. John, R. Robins, & L. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality (3rd ed., pp. 568-582). New York: Guilford.
23.
Guion, R.M., & Gottier, R.F. (1965). Validity of personality measures in personnel selection. Personnel Psychology, 18, 135-164.
24.
Hargrave, G.E., & McKinley, J.C. (1989). Use of the California Psychological Inventory in law enforcement officer selection. Personnel Psychology, 53, 267-277.
25.
Hart, R. (1981). The use of the clinical analysis questionnaire in the selection of police officers: A validation study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State University.
26.
Hathaway, S.R., & McKinley, J.C. (1940). A multiphasic personality schedule (Minnesota): I. Construction of the schedule. Journal of Psychology, 10, 249-254.
27.
Hough, L.M., & Oswald, F.L. (2000). Personnel selection: Looking toward the future-Remembering the past. International Journal of Selection and Assessment , 51, 631-664.
28.
Inwald, R.E., Knatz, H., & Shusman, E. (1982). The Inwald Personality Inventory Manual. New York: Hilson Research.
29.
Ipat. (1987). The Law Enforcement Assessment and Development Report (LEADR). Report manual. Champaign, IL: The Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.
30.
IPAT & Staff. (1998). The Law Enforcement Assessment and Development Report (LEADR) Security Journal , 10, 171-181.
31.
Krug, S.E. (1980). Clinical Analysis Questionnaire manual. Champaign, IL: Institute for Personality and Counseling .
32.
Lievens, F. (1998). Factors which improve the construct validity of assessment centers: A review. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 6, 141-152.
33.
Lorr, M., & Strack, S. (1994). Personality profiles of police candidates. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50, 200-207.
34.
Mischel, W. (1968). Personality and assessment. New York: John Wiley.
35.
Mount, M.K., & Barrick, M.R. (1995). The Big Five personality dimensions: Implications for research and practice in human resource management. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 13, 153-200.
36.
Muthén, B., & Muthén, B. (2006). MPLUS (Version 4.1) [Computer software]. Los Angeles: Author.
37.
O'Connor, M.C., & Paunonen, S.V. (2006). Big Five personality predictors of post-secondary academic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 971-990.
38.
Ozer, D.J., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2005). Personality and the prediction of consequential outcomes. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 401-421.
39.
Piedmont, R.L., & Weinstein, H.P. (1998). Predicting supervisor ratings of job performance using the NEO Personality Inventory. Journal of Psychology, 128, 255-265.
40.
Salgado, J.F. (1997). The five factor model of personality and job performance in theEuropean community. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 30-43.
41.
Satorra, A., & Bentler, P.M. (1994). Corrections to test statistics and standard errors in covariance structure analysis. In A. von Eye & C. C. Clogg (Eds.), Latent variable analysis: Applications to developmental research (pp. 399-419). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
42.
Schuerger, J.M., Kochevar, K.F., & Reinwald, J.E. (1982). Male and female corrections officers: Personality and performance. Psychological Reports , 51, 223-228.
43.
Sellbom, M., Fischler, G.L., & Ben-Porath, Y.S. (2007). Identifying MMPI-2 predictors of police integrity and misconduct. Criminal Justice and Behavior , 34, 985-1004.
44.
Shusman, E.J., Inwald, R.E., & Landa, B. (1984). Correction officer job performance as predicted by the IPI and MMPI: A validation and cross-validation study. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 11, 309-329.
45.
Tett, R.P., Jackson, D.N., & Rothstein, M. (1991). Personality measures as predictors of job performance: A meta-analytic review. Personnel Psychology, 44, 703-742.
46.
Topp, B.W., & Kardash, C.A. (1986). Personality, achievement and attrition: Validation in a multiple-jurisdiction police academy. Journal of Police Science & Administration, 14, 234-241.
47.
Varela, J.G., Boccaccini, M.T., Scogin, F., Stump, J., & Caputo, A. (2004). Personality testing in law enforcement employment settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 649-675.
48.
Waugh, L. (1996). Police officer recruit selection: Predictors of academy performance. Queensland, Australia: Queensland Police Academy.
