Test Bank For Forensic Psychology, 5th Edition

Chapter 02: Police Psychology Chapter 02 Multiple Choice Questions 1. ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ refers to a set of procedures used by the police to either screen out undesirable candidates or select in desirable candidates. RPAT Police selection GAT-B KSA Checklist Inventory Screen-In/Screen-Out Doctrine Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-01 28 Answer: Police selection 2. Which of the following selection procedures are used least often? background checks cognitive ability tests medical exams selection interviews personality tests Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-02 29 Answer: cognitive ability tests 3. Lewis Terman’s attempt to assist with police selection in the early 1900s involved the assessment of: intelligence physical abilities personality traits criminal background authoritarianism Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-03 29 Answer: intelligence Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-1 4. Which of the following police selection procedures is used most often? background checks recommendation letters cognitive ability tests polygraph tests physical abilities tests Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-04 29 Answer: background checks 5. Marcus has applied to become an RCMP officer. W hat are the two primary aptitude battery assessments that he must pass in order to progress in the selection process? Polygraph exam and the police aptitude test. The six factor personality questionnaire and the physical abilities requirement evaluation. The physical abilities requirement evaluation and a field investigation. The police aptitude test and the six factor personality questionnaire. Cadet training and the police aptitude test. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-05 29, 30 Answer: The police aptitude test and the six factor personality questionnaire. 6. According to Cochrane, Tett, and Vandecreek (2003), which of the following police selection procedures is most commonly used in the United States? physical agility tests drug testing selection interview background checks polygraph tests Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-06 29 Answer: background checks 7. Julia has applied to become a police officer with the Hamilton Police Service. W hich of the following selection procedures will NOT be used throughout her application process? physical ability testing personality testing selection interview background check polygraph test Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-2 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-07 29 Answer: polygraph test 8. The RCMP’s ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ assesses physical fitness before anyone can become an officer. RPAT POPAT A-PREP PREP PARE Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-08 30 Answer: PARE 9. Which of the following individuals would be best suited to become a police officer based on the essential KSAs identified in your text? Sarah: has a public relations background, volunteered at a children’s fitness program, has received leadership awards, got top grades in her degree program, and is considered responsible and trustworthy. Lyle: has a high degree of physical fitness, considered funny and personable, is not bothered by what other people think of him, and is highly independent and motivated. Tarek: has worked extensively with youth populations, very shy and considerate, works well in small groups, always willing to help others, tries to minimize stressful situations. Juanita: has lived all over the world and speaks several languages, outperformed her classmates on the PARE, wants to prove that women can be police officers, and is dominant and strong-willed. Ashton: scored in the acceptable ranges on all physical and psychological testing, background check was clean, critical of self and others, and endorses rigid legal attitudes and practices. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-09 31 Answer: Sarah: has a public relations background, volunteered at a children’s fitness program, has received leadership awards, got top grades in her degree program, and is considered responsible and trustworthy. 10. In the context of police selection, what is meant by KSA? A physical ability test taken by all potential officers. Sets of characteristics that define a “good” police officer. A police selection agency. Characteristics that are undesirable in a potential police officer. An instrument that is used to assess psychopathology. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-3 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-10 31, 33 Answer: Sets of characteristics that define a “good” police officer. 11. In the context of police selection, the term validation refers to: The development of a selection instrument to measure the abilities of potential police officers. The need to ensure that certified individuals are administering police selection tests to applicants. The need to ensure that the results of a police selection instrument are related to some measure of police performance. A job analysis. The development of a selection instrument to measure the knowledge of potential police officers. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-11 31-32 Answer: The need to ensure that the results of a police selection instrument are related to some measure of police performance. 12. Which psychometric property is most important in the context of police selection? concurrent validity divergent validity predictive validity intrinsic reliability long-term reliability Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-12 31 Answer: predictive validity 13. The validity coefficient calculated for a selection instrument (when it is used to predict job performance) is +0.99. This means that: As performance on the selection instrument increases, so do ratings of job performance. As performance on the selection instrument increases, ratings of job performance decrease. The selection instrument has low concurrent validity. The selection instrument has low predictive validity. There is no relationship between the selection instrument and job performance ratings. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-13 32 Answer: There is no relationship between the selection instrument and job performance ratings. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-4 14. When conducting job analysis concerning police selection, an organizational psychologist may find this challenging because: Different jobs within policing are related to different KSAs. The KSAs of a good police officer may not be stable over time. Individuals disagree over which KSAs are important to assess. There are a range of techniques for identifying relevant KSAs. All of the above Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-14 32-33 Answer: All of the above 15. Which of the following is considered to be a serious problem with validation research in the area of police selection? There is disagreement on how to best measure the performance of police officers. There is no validity coefficient available for measuring predictive validity. Indicators of on-the-job performance do not exist in the policing field. Cognitive ability tests are characterised by relatively high validity coefficients. Few police applicants have to go through the selection process. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-15 33 Answer: There is disagreement on how to best measure the performance of police officers. 16. Which of the following has been identified as a key problem with the police selection interview? The interview lacks any structure. The interview is too lengthy to be used by many police agencies. The interview contains an excessive amount of questions. There is little research examining the predictive validity of the interview. There is little research examining the divergent validity of the interview. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-16 33-34 Answer: There is little research examining the predictive validity of the interview. 17. Research, both within policing and from the general field of organizational psychology, suggests that interviewing to select police officers should be ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲. used with caution never used the primary method replaced with an interrogation supplemented with a second interview Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-5 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-17 34 Answer: used with caution 18. You are applying to be a police officer with the RCMP. Which of the following tests would you expect to be administered in order to measure your cognitive abilities? IPI Situational test RPAT KSA MMPI Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-18 34 Answer: RPAT 19. Cognitive ability tests used during police selection tend to be better at predicting ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ relative to ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲. judgment and problem-solving, situational testing police suitability, personality testing personality score results, successful on-the-job performance academy performance, on-the-job performance poor on-the-job performance, successful on-the-job performance Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-19 35 Answer: academy performance, on-the-job performance 20. Which of the following is the most commonly used personality test for police selection? Situational test RPAT DSM Knowledge test MMPI Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-20 35 Answer: MMPI Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-6 21. As a psychologist involved in police selection, which measure(s) would you be most confident in administering to an applicant if your goal was to accurately predict the potential for a candidate to display problematic police behaviour? IPI SILS MMPI MMPI-2 Lie Scale RPAT Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-21 35-36 Answer: MMPI-2 Lie Scale 22. A common personality test used in police selection is the IPI. What does IPI stand for? Inbau’s Personality Index Inwald Personality Inventory Inwald’s Policing Index Iterative Policing Inventory Iterative Personality Index Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-22 36 Answer: Inwald Personality Inventory 23. As a psychologist involved in police selection, which measure(s) would you be most confident in administering to an applicant if your goal was to accurately predict their future job performance? IPI SILS MMPI MMPI-2 RPAT Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-23 36 Answer: IPI 24. What is the most common police selection instrument used in assessment centres? personality tests cognitive ability tests situational tests selection interviews polygraph tests Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-7 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-24 36 Answer: situational tests 25. An RCMP applicant is given a certain period of time to interview witnesses in a mock domestic disturbance case and complete an incident report. This scenario is most likely a component of: an IPI a situational test a selection interview an RPAT a personality test Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-25 36-37 Answer: a situational test 26. As a police selection instrument, res earch suggests that situational tests have: no predictive validity. extremely high predictive validity. moderate predictive validity. no research has been conducted on the predictive validity of situational tests. results of studies that have been conducted are inconclusive. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-26 36 Answer: moderate predictive validity. 27. According to Sheehan and Cordner (1989), which of the following are arguments for the use of police discretion? Law enforcement resources are limited and full enforcement of the law would overwhelm the criminal justice system. Most law violations are minor and do not require strict enforcement all the time. Some laws are vague and ill-defined, which makes discretion necessary. Full enforcement of the law would alienate the public. All of the above. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-27 39 Answer: All of the above. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-8 28. Jerome is an African Canadian male living in downtown Sudbury. He gets pulled over by the police in a traffic stop even though he has not violated the law and was doing the speed limit. Jerome’s experience reflects the presence of ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ in policing. discretion racial profiling simulation exercises selection procedures ticketing quotas Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-28 39 Answer: racial profiling 29. What is considered to be the primary reason why the likelihood of encounters between the police and mentally ill individuals has increased? Mentally ill persons commit more crimes than those not suffering from mental illness. Most criminal behaviour is associated with mental illness of some kind. The recent movement towards deinstitutionalization of mentally ill individuals. Victimization rates of persons with mental illness have increased. Mentally ill persons are more violent than those not suffering from mental illness. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-29 41 Answer: The recent movement towards deinstitutionalization of mentally ill individuals. 30. Hoch, Hartford, Heslop, and Stitt (2009) conducted a study to determine whet her mentally ill individuals in London, Ontario, were more likely than non-mentally ill individuals to come into contact with the police and be arrested and/or charged. They found that: mentally ill individuals had significantly less contact with the police. mentally ill individuals had significantly more contact with the police. mentally ill individuals were less likely to be charged by the police. mentally ill individuals were less likely to get arrested by the police. mentally ill individuals were more likely to commit crimes with an accomplice. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-30 42 Answer: mentally ill individuals had significantly more contact with the police. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-9 31. In Canada, the authority to use force is laid out in the ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲. use of force model Criminal Code Legislative Act of 1964 case of R. v. Benoit case of R. v. Dziekanski Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-31 44 Answer: Criminal Code 32. According to Hall and Votova (2013), approximately what percentage of police -citizen interactions involved use-of-force? less than 1% 10% 25% 50% 75% Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-32 44-45 Answer: less than 1% 33. As discussed in the textbook, what was the main issue in the case of Sammy Yatim? The rights of mentally disordered offenders. Police use of force. Police discretion in situations involving the public. The use of inappropriate police discretion in cases involving youths. The negative effects of police stress. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-33 44-45 Answer: Police use of force. 34. Which of the following statements is true regarding police use-of-force data from Hall and Votova (2013)? Suspects in use-of-force encounters are usually female. Suspects in use-of-force encounters are usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the encounter. Multiple use-of-force modalities were more frequent than single ones. Use-of-force encounters are extremely frequent. Tasers are the intervention that results in the highest rate of injury. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-10 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-34 45 Answer: Suspects in use-of-force encounters are usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the encounter. 35. After which case did the RCMP introduce new policies for Taser use that restrict when officers can use the weapon? Sammy Yatim Vince Li Robert Dziekanski Paul Boyd Paul Bernardo Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-35 46 Answer: Robert Dziekanski 36. Which of the following is the least forceful option on the RCMP’s Incident Management/Intervention Model? verbal and nonverbal communication officer presence lethal force intermediate weapons physical control Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-36 46-47 Answer: officer presence 37. Which of the following is not true of the use-of-force continuum? It is an indirect method of helping to control the amount of force used by a police officer. It provides a dynamic guide that can potentially assist with use-of-force decision making. Following the continuum completely removes the need for police discretion in use-of-force situations. The continuum encourages officers to continually assess their surroundings. Lethal force is one of the use-of-force options included in the continuum. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-37 46-47 Answer: Following the continuum completely removes the need for police discretion in use-of-force situations. Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-11 38. Results from Duxbury and Higgins’ (2012) study of police stress indicate that: police officers in Canada experience much less stress relative to police in other countries. psychological services within Canadian police forces are under-utilized by officers who really need them. occupational stressors are the leading cause of stress among Canadian police officers. public stressors cause more stress for police officers relative to both occupational and organizational stressors. police officers experience significant difficulty balancing their work and home life. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-38 49 Answer: police officers experience significant difficulty balancing their work and home life. 39. Police officers are exposed to a wide range of stressors. Experiencing a lack of cooperation between neighbouring jurisdictions is an example of: public stressors inter-organizational stressors criminal justice stressors occupational stressors intra-organizational stressors Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-39 50 Answer: inter-organizational stressors 40. The press has been distorting the facts of a particular case on which a police officer is working. This is an example of: an organizational stressor an occupational stressor a criminal justice stressor a public stressor an extrinsic stressor Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-40 50 Answer: a public stressor 41. A police officer witnesses a fellow officer being killed. This is an example of: an organizational stressor an occupational stressor a criminal justice stressor a public stressor a police-specific stressor Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-12 Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-41 50 Answer: an occupational stressor 42. Jared is frustrated in his job as a police officer due to inconsistent leadership from his superior officers, feeling like he always has to prove himself within his precinct, bureaucratic red tape, excessive paperwork, and feeling like there is no room for advancement. W hat type of stressor is influencing Jared’s job the most? public criminal justice organizational occupational extrinsic Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-1-42 50 Answer: organizational 43. According to Taylor and Bennell (2006) ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ stressors are often rank ed as the most stressful among police officers. public criminal justice organizational extrinsic none of the above Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-43 51 Answer: organizational 44. Possible consequences associated with police stress fall into three general categories. These are: physical health problems/psychological problems/job performance problems occupational/organizational/criminal justice adaptive/maladaptive/neutral proactive/reactive/inhibitory psychological/physical/mental Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-44 51-54 Answer: physical health problems/psychological problems/job performance problems Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-13 45. Recent research conducted by McCoy and Aamodt (2010) has compared the divorce rate amongst law enforcement personnel to the divorce rate in the general population. W hat did they find? The divorce rate among law enforcement personnel is higher than the divorce rate in the general population. The divorce rate among law enforcement personnel is lower than the divorce rate in the general population. The divorce rate among law enforcement personnel is equal to the divorce rate in the general population. Differences in divorce rates between the two groups existed, but only for people over the age of 50. There is no difference in the divorce rates among law enforcement personnel and the general population. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-1-45 53 Answer: The divorce rate among law enforcement personnel is lower than the divorce rate in the general population. 46. Which of the following refers to training delivered to police officers to improve their ability to effectively adapt to stress and adversity? Communication accommodation training Communicative needs-based training Resiliency training Sparks protocol Training Critical incident stress training Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-46 54 Answer: Resiliency training 47. ̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲̲ is a psychologically-oriented intervention delivered to police officers following exposure to an event that resulted in psychological distress and an impairment of normal functioning. Cognitive behavioral therapy Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing Psychological debriefing Rorschach inkblot decompression Neural organization technique Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-1-47 55 Answer: Psychological debriefing Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-14 Chapter 02 Short Answer Questions 1. In general, there are two stages involved in developing a valid police selection process. Name these stages and explain them briefly. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-2-01 31-33 Answer: a. The job analysis stage: the police agency must define the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that characterize a “good” police officer. b. The construction and validation stage: The police agency must develop instruments to measure the degree to which applicants possess these KSAs (i.e., construction) and determine the extent to which the applicants’ scores on these instruments correspond to actual police performance (i.e., validation). 2. Name and describe two of the three most common types of police selection procedures. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-2-02 33-37 Answer: a. The selection interview: This is a semi-structured interview intended to determine the degree to which an applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that characterize a “good” police officer. b. Psychological tests: These include tests of cognitive ability that tap into skills like memory and logic (e.g., RPAT) and personality tests that attempt to identify stress reactions, interpersonal styles, and psychopathological problems (e.g., MMPI). c. Assessment centres: This refers to facilities in which police-related behaviours can be observed by multiple raters usually in the context of simulated tasks (i.e., situational tests). 3. Define “police discretion” and name three areas of policing in which discretion is often used. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-2-03 38, 39-4241-44 Answer: – Police discretion is the quality that enables officers to discriminate between those situations that require strict adherence to the law and those in which a certain amount of latitude is justified. – Typically, police officers are called upon to use a degree of discretion when dealing with cases of youth crime, mentally ill offenders, domestic disturbances, and cases involving the potential use of force. 4. List four reasons why police discretion is necessary, as indicated by Sheehan and Cordner (1989). Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Moderate 02-2-04 39 Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-15 Answer: – A police officer who attempts to enforce all the laws all the time would be in the police station and in court all the time and thus of little use when serious problems arise in the community. – Legislatures pass some laws that they clearly do not intend to have strictly enforced all the time. – Legislatures pass some laws that are vague, making it necessary for the police to interpret them and decide when to apply them. – Most law violations are minor in nature, such as driving slightly over the posted speed limit, and do not require full enforcement of the law. – Full enforcement of all the laws all the time would alienate the public and undermine support for the police. – Full enforcement of all the laws all the time would overwhelm the criminal justice system, including the prisons. – The police have many duties to perform with limited resources; good judgment must therefore be used in establishing enforcement priorities. 5. You are a police officer who has encountered a mentally ill person causing a disturbance. What are the three main options available to you in this situation? Identify a disadvantage associated with each. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-2-05 41-42 Answer: a. The individual can be arrested and taken to jail. – This approach may result in the mentally ill offender being “criminalized” (i.e., dealt with by the criminal justice system when it may actually be more useful for this person to be treated in the mental health system). b. The individual can be taken to a psychiatric/mental health institution – Due to legal difficulties and/or bureaucratic obstacles, the mentally ill offender may be refused admittance. c. You can attempt to resolve the matter in an informal fashion. – This may only be a short-term solution given that the individual will likely not receiving the mental health care he or she requires. 6. What are the main conclusions from Hall and Votova’s (2013) study of use-of-force? Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Hard 02-2-06 45 Answer: – Use of force by the police was very rare, accounting for 0.1% of police–public encounters. – Single use-of-force modalities were used in 59.6% of all use-of-force events, whereas multiple use-of-force modalities (e.g., pepper spray and Taser) were used in the remainder of events. – Physical strikes were by far the most common use-of-force modality used (77%). – Male subjects accounted for the vast majority (87%) of individuals where force was used. – Intoxication (drugs or alcohol) was the most frequent reason for police to be dispatched to the scene (22.5%) In terms of injuries, 16.6% of subjects were transported to hospital. 7. Name four main sources of police stress and provide an example of each. Difficulty: QuestionID: Page-Reference: Easy 02-2-07 48-51 Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-16 Answer: a. Intra-organizational stress (e.g., excessive paperwork) b. Inter-organizational stress (e.g., jurisdictional isolationism – lack of cooperation between neighbouring jurisdictions) c. Occupational stressors (e.g., exposure to human suffering) d. Criminal justice stressors (e.g., unfavourable court decisions) e. Public stressors (e.g., media distortions regarding certain cases) Copyright © 2018 Pearson Canada Inc., Toronto, Canada 2-17