Socio-Economic Status, Test Bias and the Selection of Police
| Author | Clyde A. Winters |
| Date | 01 April 1992 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X9206500205 |
| Published date | 01 April 1992 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Thereis the challenge. Ratherthanallowing thecommission to bring
cataclysmic change wemust use it as a catalyst for improvement.
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CLYDE A. WINTERS
Ulthman dan Fodio Institute, Chicago. Illinios, USA
Socio-Economic Status, Test
Bias and the Selection of Police
Abstract
Manypsychology testsusedin theemployment fieldhavepotential ethnic
bias. In a studyof college students in a mid-Western Junior College,
students wereaskedto answerselecteditemsfrom theInwaldPersonality
Inventory todetermine theimpactcriticalitemsfromthisinventory might
haveontheselection of police. Thetest resultsshowthateconomic status
canaffect thescoreofminorityapplicants ontheIPI test. Thispaperwill
showthat a comparison ofthe testscoresof the
subjects
ofthis
study,
and
the overallsuccessrate of African-American candidates forthe Chicago
PoliceDepartment indicate that selected"criticalitems"fromthe IPItest
cannegatively affectthe employment opportunity of African-Americans
as policeofficers.
TheInwaldPersonality Inventory (IPI)hasbeendevelopedspecifically
toscreenpoliceandcorrectional officers. ThecreatorsoftheIPItestclaim
that the test has content validity. Most IPI items are self-reported
admissions regarding behaviour that are supposed to relate to
future
performance asa publicsafetyofficer. Someof thesebehaviouritemscan
have an adverseimpacton minorities.
Thepsychological examination shouldscreenoutpolicerecruitswho
April
1992 ThePolice Journal 125
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