Survey Methodology and Administration Flashcards

A police department uses a survey validated in 2005. Which concern should the agency address before continuing to use it for current hiring?

Answer: Whether the normative data and job analysis still reflect the current officer role

Validation studies must periodically be reviewed against current job analyses, as the duties and demands of law enforcement evolve and older norms may no longer be representative.

Which of the following is an example of 'incremental validity' in a police selection battery?

Answer: Adding the survey to a background check improves prediction of officer misconduct beyond the background check alone

Incremental validity is the additional predictive power a new measure contributes above and beyond what existing measures already predict.

An applicant requests to retake the SSPO because they feel they were having a bad day. How should the agency BEST respond according to standard assessment practices?

Answer: Deny the retake unless a standardized retest interval and clinical justification support it

Retesting policies should follow standardized intervals and objective criteria to prevent coaching effects and ensure score integrity rather than accommodating situational claims.

What is the function of an 'inconsistency scale' on a police personality survey?

Answer: It identifies whether the candidate gave contradictory answers to similar item pairs

Inconsistency scales compare responses to item pairs that should logically receive similar answers; high inconsistency suggests careless, random, or confused responding.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), when may a police agency administer a psychological survey as part of selection?

Answer: Only after a conditional offer of employment has been made

The ADA classifies psychological examinations as medical examinations, which may only be administered post-conditional offer, after which all candidates in the same job class must be tested.

What does 'criterion contamination' mean in validating a police selection survey?

Answer: Job performance ratings are influenced by the rater's knowledge of the applicant's test scores

Criterion contamination occurs when supervisors' awareness of test scores biases their performance ratings, artificially inflating the apparent validity of the survey.

A survey administered to police applicants produces significantly different passing rates between racial groups. Under federal guidelines, this triggers a review for:

Answer: Adverse impact

Adverse impact (disparate impact) is flagged when a selection procedure produces a substantially lower pass rate for a protected group compared to the highest-scoring group, per the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures.