title: The MMPI-2 L scale, reporting uncommon virtue, and predicting police performance.
abstract: The present study investigated the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 L (Lie) scale in the preemployment selection of police officers. In a prior article, Weiss, Davis, Rostow, and Kinsman (2003) found that high L scale scores are associated with a number of performance problems in law enforcement officers. These investigators recommended a L scale raw score cutoff of 8 when making hiring decisions. The present study sought to explore the usefulness of this recommendation by analyzing data from 4348 officers who had taken the MMPI-2 as a condition of preemployment and had follow-up data on performance provided by their supervisors. Results indicated that officers with L scale raw scores of 8 or higher had significantly more performance problems than those who had scores of 7 or below. Similar results were obtained when cut points of 7 and 9 were used. These results were robust insofar as they remained significant when other factors potentially related to the L scale, particularly level of education, ethnicity, and scores on the 10 MMPI-2 Clinical Scales, were controlled for in the analyses. Implications of these findings for police psychological evaluations are discussed.
authors: Department of Psychology, Universityof Hartford, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA. peweiss@hartford.edu
authors: Peter A
authors: PA
authors: Weiss
authors: James E
authors: JE
authors: Vivian
authors: William U
authors: WU
authors: Weiss
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Davis
authors: Cary D
authors: CD
authors: Rostow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000379:methods*; D016495:Police / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D014481:United States; D028722:Virtues; D055815:Young Adult