Do Impulsivity and Education Moderate the Effectiveness of Police Sexual Assault Investigations Training? Findings From a Solomon Four-Group Quasi-Experiment

Abstract

Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of sexual assault investigations training using experimental designs. Existing studies have not examined the impact of officers’ levels of impulsivity and education on training effectiveness. Using a Solomon four-group quasi-experimental design to assess pretesting effects, we examined the impact of training, impulsivity, and education on officers’ (N = 432) adherence to rape myths and knowledge of victim reporting behaviors. Ordinary least squares (OLS) models were estimated to examine main effects of training, and moderating effects of impulsivity and education on training for our outcome variables. Results demonstrated that training, impulsivity, and education predicted improvements in attitudinal and cognitive outcomes. However, neither impulsivity nor education moderated—or changed—the effectiveness of training. In addition, training effects held over time, and we did not detect evidence of pretesting effects. Findings from this study improve our understanding of police sexual assault investigations training and provide methodological advancements for police training evaluations.