Screening Police Applicants: A Study of Reliability with the MMPI

Abstract

The problem of selecting candidates for law enforcement agencies is difficult and poorly understood. Behavioral scientists are becoming more involved as consultants to police departments and are being asked to validate current selection procedures. The MMPI is being used as a screening device. This study explored the interrater reliability of two experienced judges using the MMPI “clinically” in a simulated selection procedure. The judges used markedly different selection strategies and disagreed on nominal placement into two classes on about one-third of the cases. They reached the near maximum non-chance agreement possible, given that they used the nominal classes at different rates. Neither judge was more accurate in his selections than the other despite different selection strategies. They could not improve their over-all individual performances when collaborating. Criterion variables require improved definition before the search for valid predictors can be objectified.