Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF)predictors of police officer problem behavior and collateral self-report test scores.

Abstract

The current study examined the predictive validity of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008/2011) scores in police officer screenings. We utilized a sample of 712 police officer candidates (82.6% male) from 2 Midwestern police departments. The sample included 426 hired officers, most of whom had supervisor ratings of problem behaviors and human resource records of civilian complaints. With the full sample, we calculated zero-order correlations between MMPI-2-RF scale scores and scale scores from the California Psychological Inventory (Gough, 1956) and Inwald Personality Inventory (Inwald, 2006) by gender. In the hired sample, we correlated MMPI-2-RF scale scores with the outcome data for males only, owing to the relatively small number of hired women. Several scales demonstrated meaningful correlations with the criteria, particularly in the thought dysfunction and behavioral/externalizing dysfunction domains. After applying a correction for range restriction, the correlation coefficient magnitudes were generally in the moderate to large range. The practical implications of these findings were explored by means of risk ratio analyses, which indicated that officers who produced elevations at cutscores lower than the traditionally used 65 T-score level were as much as 10 times more likely than those scoring below the cutoff to exhibit problem behaviors. Overall, the results supported the validity of the MMPI-2-RF in this setting. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

Examining the Validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire in the Assessment of Police Candidates

“…The latter findings may best be understood as a function of preselection effects (e.g., Sellbom et al, 2007), reflecting the likelihood that potential candidates with the most problematic externalizing histories would not have received a conditional offer of employment, and therefore would not have been referred for the preemployment psychological evaluation, at which time the MPQ (along with the two other written tests) was administered and the ratings completed. Similar findings for scales that measure impulsive and externalizing content have been observed for the MMPI-2-RF (e.g., Tarescavage, Brewster, et al, 2015; Tarescavage, Corey, & Ben-Porath, 2015, 2016; Tarescavage, Fischler, et al, 2015). Finally, the AB scale did not correlate extensively with biodata problems, but it was meaningfully related to most POST-10 rating domains, indicating significant validity for this scale with respect to suitability prediction.…”

“…Moreover, the MPQ AB scale is most strongly correlated with personality constructs such as cognitive and perceptual dysregulation as well as other Aberrant Experiences on the MMPI-2-RF (Moorman & Samuel, 2018; Sellbom & Ben-Porath, 2005). These findings are noteworthy as suspiciousness, cynicism, and aberrant thinking and experiences have been consistently shown to be among the most potent predictors of police officer misconduct and ratings of poor posthire performance, including multitasking problems (i.e., Cognitive Adaptive Problems) by police recruits, negative psychologist recommendation, decreased likelihood of being rehired, deceptiveness, excessive force, inappropriate language, rude behavior, uncooperativeness toward peers, abuse of authority, failure to take responsibility for mistakes, missing court appearances, poor response to feedback, sustained internal affairs complaints, and involuntary departure (e.g., Sellbom et al, 2007; Tarescavage et al, 2016; Tarescavage, Fischler, et al, 2015). Furthermore, the nonlinear smoothing curves clearly revealed that the predictive validity of the MPQ AB scale did not occur across the full range of the scale’s scores.…”

Book Review: White, Michael D. and Fradella, Henry F., Stop and Frisk: The Use and Abuse of a Controversial Policing Tactic

“…The MMPI-2-RF scores of officers that had been involuntary discharged, received Internal Affairs complaints or Civilian Review Authority Complaints were compared to the scores of officers who were not problematic. The research showed a strong correlation between officers that scored high in the fields of Thought Dysfunction (THD) and/or Behavioral-Externalizing Dysfunction Domains (BXD) with officers that were classified under "supervisor would not hire again" (Tarescavage et al, 2015). High THD scores correlated with such behavior as using excessive force, deceptiveness and use of inappropriate language, while high BXD scores correlated with frequently sustained complaints and recommendation for Psychologist evaluation (Tarescavage et al, 2015).…”

“…To successfully screen police applicants, it must be clear what characteristics should be flagged as potential disqualifiers. A study of 711 police applicants (426 of whom were hired) in Minnesota and Kansas who were all administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) revealed characteristics that were prevalent among officers who had become problematic (Tarescavage, Fischler, Cappo, Hill, David, and Ben-Porath, 2015). The MMPI-2-RF scores of officers that had been involuntary discharged, received Internal Affairs complaints or Civilian Review Authority Complaints were compared to the scores of officers who were not problematic.…”

“…The research showed a strong correlation between officers that scored high in the fields of Thought Dysfunction (THD) and/or Behavioral-Externalizing Dysfunction Domains (BXD) with officers that were classified under "supervisor would not hire again" (Tarescavage et al, 2015). High THD scores correlated with such behavior as using excessive force, deceptiveness and use of inappropriate language, while high BXD scores correlated with frequently sustained complaints and recommendation for Psychologist evaluation (Tarescavage et al, 2015). By using evidence-based screening tools, such as the MMPI-2-RF, police departments may realize a decline in unfit and oppressive officers.…”