What is it about?
Psychological evaluations of police applicants are a standard aspect of the hiring process of most law enforcement in the United States. This study suggests that psychologists who conduct these evaluations take a diverse array of approaches to manage instances when police applicants have misread or misinterpreted test questions during evaluation.
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Why is it important?
Our findings indicate that methods of defining, detecting, and addressing applicant misreads varied across police psychologists. Understanding how misreads are addressed in police evaluations is important so that evaluations can accurately determine risk and not inadvertently screen out qualified applicants, supporting fair hiring processes and promoting public safety.
Perspectives
I hope that this article makes people think about how the methods psychologists use in their evaluations can impact public safety and community wellbeing. Further, I hope it makes people think about the role of culture, comprehension, and language in assessment. This article was a great pleasure to write as I got to work with a mentor I really respect.
Giovanna Rafanello
Fordham University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How do police psychologists define, evaluate, and address misreads during preemployment police evaluations?, Professional Psychology Research and Practice, December 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pro0000654.
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