Police applicant response bias on the California Psychological Inventory

Area of Science:

• Psychological Assessment
• Personnel Selection
• Forensic Psychology

Background:

• Positive response bias is prevalent in high-stakes personnel selection settings.
• The California Psychological Inventory (CPI)-434 is used in police pre-employment evaluations.
• Understanding response bias is crucial for accurate psychological assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate positive response bias in police officer applicants using the CPI-434.
• To examine demand effects on CPI-434 scores under high versus low demand conditions.
• To assess the validity of the Good Impression (Gi) scale and Fake Good Index in measuring response bias.

Main Methods:

• Police officer applicants completed the CPI-434 under two conditions: high demand (pre-employment) and low demand (police academy).
• Applicant scores were compared within-subject between the high and low demand conditions.
• CPI-Police and Public Safety Report (CPI-PPSR) prediction equations and CPI scales were analyzed for demand effects.

Main Results:

• Significant demand effects were observed in 23 out of 46 comparisons between high and low demand conditions.
• The Good Impression (Gi) scale showed modest support for construct validity in measuring positive response bias.
• The Fake Good Index provided somewhat less support for construct validity.

Conclusions:

• Response bias significantly impacts CPI-434 scores in police officer applicants.
• The findings suggest that the Gi scale is a potentially useful measure for detecting positive response bias.
• The study highlights the importance of considering response bias when interpreting psychological test results for police performance prediction.