Police officer candidate mmpi-2 performance: Gender, ethnic, and normative factors

Abstract

Eighty‐four police officer applicants (61 White males, 12 White Females, and 11 minority males) were administered the MMPI‐2 as part of an employment screening assessment. All the applications showed a defensive style, low scores on scales 2 and 0, and extreme scores on scale 5. Implications of high scale 5 scores for female and low scale 5 scores for male police officer applicants are discussed.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 in police officer selection: Normative data and relation to the Inwald Personality Inventory.

“…Our findings are consistent with Kornfeld (1995) in that police officer applicants-regardless of gender, race, tenure, or department type-tended to present moderately defensive MMPI-2 profiles characterized by self-confidence, lack of depression, interpersonal comfort, stereotyped male interests (for males), and rejection of traditional female roles (for women). Statistically significant differences between Caucasian and minority men were evident on Scales F and 2, but these differences were small and score values were well within normal limits.…”

“…It also examines the relation of the MMPI-2 to the IPI as an indication of validity. These data complement the MMPI-2 data provided by Kornfeld (1995) but are based on a much larger sample.…”

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 in police officer selection: Normative data and relation to the Inwald Personality Inventory.

“…Our findings are consistent with Kornfeld (1995) in that police officer applicants-regardless of gender, race, tenure, or department type-tended to present moderately defensive MMPI-2 profiles characterized by self-confidence, lack of depression, interpersonal comfort, stereotyped male interests (for males), and rejection of traditional female roles (for women). Statistically significant differences between Caucasian and minority men were evident on Scales F and 2, but these differences were small and score values were well within normal limits.…”

“…It also examines the relation of the MMPI-2 to the IPI as an indication of validity. These data complement the MMPI-2 data provided by Kornfeld (1995) but are based on a much larger sample.…”

A comparative meta-analysis of Rorschach and MMPI validity.

“…Effect size calculation was usually straightforward, but sometimes alternative procedures were necessary. On some occasions, test scores for a single group were compared to appropriate published norms, such as the MMPI-2 standardization sample (Kornfeld, 1995) or Exner’s normative data (Cruz, Brier, & Reznikoff, 1997; Exner, Colligan, Boll, Stischer, & Hillman, 1996; Kaser-Boyd, 1993; Zimmerman & Dillard, 1994). In these instances, the large normative samples were considered to be populations with known means and standard deviations, and the effect sizes were derived from Z values.…”

US SWAT operator experience, personality, cognitive-emotion regulation and decision-making style

“…Cortina et al (1992) found police academy applicants had elevated defensiveness scores, social deviance scores, and unwillingness to acknowledge distress scores according to their MMPI results. Kornfeld (1995) studied police academy applicants using the MMPI-2 and found that applicants were less likely to worry and less likely to have difficulty making decisions. They were confident, sociable, extroverted, friendly, psychologically well-adjusted, and comfortable with people.…”

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 in police officer selection: Normative data and relation to the Inwald Personality Inventory.

“…Our findings are consistent with Kornfeld (1995) in that police officer applicants-regardless of gender, race, tenure, or department type-tended to present moderately defensive MMPI-2 profiles characterized by self-confidence, lack of depression, interpersonal comfort, stereotyped male interests (for males), and rejection of traditional female roles (for women). Statistically significant differences between Caucasian and minority men were evident on Scales F and 2, but these differences were small and score values were well within normal limits.…”

“…It also examines the relation of the MMPI-2 to the IPI as an indication of validity. These data complement the MMPI-2 data provided by Kornfeld (1995) but are based on a much larger sample.…”

A comparative meta-analysis of Rorschach and MMPI validity.

“…Effect size calculation was usually straightforward, but sometimes alternative procedures were necessary. On some occasions, test scores for a single group were compared to appropriate published norms, such as the MMPI-2 standardization sample (Kornfeld, 1995) or Exner’s normative data (Cruz, Brier, & Reznikoff, 1997; Exner, Colligan, Boll, Stischer, & Hillman, 1996; Kaser-Boyd, 1993; Zimmerman & Dillard, 1994). In these instances, the large normative samples were considered to be populations with known means and standard deviations, and the effect sizes were derived from Z values.…”

US SWAT operator experience, personality, cognitive-emotion regulation and decision-making style

“…Cortina et al (1992) found police academy applicants had elevated defensiveness scores, social deviance scores, and unwillingness to acknowledge distress scores according to their MMPI results. Kornfeld (1995) studied police academy applicants using the MMPI-2 and found that applicants were less likely to worry and less likely to have difficulty making decisions. They were confident, sociable, extroverted, friendly, psychologically well-adjusted, and comfortable with people.…”

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 in police officer selection: Normative data and relation to the Inwald Personality Inventory.

“…Our findings are consistent with Kornfeld (1995) in that police officer applicants-regardless of gender, race, tenure, or department type-tended to present moderately defensive MMPI-2 profiles characterized by self-confidence, lack of depression, interpersonal comfort, stereotyped male interests (for males), and rejection of traditional female roles (for women). Statistically significant differences between Caucasian and minority men were evident on Scales F and 2, but these differences were small and score values were well within normal limits.…”

“…It also examines the relation of the MMPI-2 to the IPI as an indication of validity. These data complement the MMPI-2 data provided by Kornfeld (1995) but are based on a much larger sample.…”

A comparative meta-analysis of Rorschach and MMPI validity.

“…Effect size calculation was usually straightforward, but sometimes alternative procedures were necessary. On some occasions, test scores for a single group were compared to appropriate published norms, such as the MMPI-2 standardization sample (Kornfeld, 1995) or Exner’s normative data (Cruz, Brier, & Reznikoff, 1997; Exner, Colligan, Boll, Stischer, & Hillman, 1996; Kaser-Boyd, 1993; Zimmerman & Dillard, 1994). In these instances, the large normative samples were considered to be populations with known means and standard deviations, and the effect sizes were derived from Z values.…”

US SWAT operator experience, personality, cognitive-emotion regulation and decision-making style

“…Cortina et al (1992) found police academy applicants had elevated defensiveness scores, social deviance scores, and unwillingness to acknowledge distress scores according to their MMPI results. Kornfeld (1995) studied police academy applicants using the MMPI-2 and found that applicants were less likely to worry and less likely to have difficulty making decisions. They were confident, sociable, extroverted, friendly, psychologically well-adjusted, and comfortable with people.…”