Psychometric Properties of a Contextualized, Actuarially Informed Assessment for Law Enforcement Personnel Selection: The M-PULSE Inventory

• DOI: 10.1007/s11896-018-9290-0
• Publication Date: 2018-12-14T13:51:41Z
• Authors: Holly Ellingwood; Kevin M. Williams; Gill Sitarenios; Joanna Solomon
• Keywords: 0504 sociology; 05 social sciences; 16. Peace & justice

Despite empirical evidence that personnel selection assessments may be more effective when they incorporate actuarial (standardized, evidence-based interpretation guidelines) and contextualized (job-specific item language) components, relevant research specific to law enforcement settings is extremely limited. The Matrix-Predictive Uniform Law Enforcement Selection Evaluation (M-PULSE) Inventory, an example of such an assessment, has experienced increased popularity as a valuable pre- and post-conditional law enforcement screener. Yet, relatively little is known about its psychometric properties beyond the normative sample. In the first peer-reviewed study to focus on the M-PULSE, we examined the instrument in a large (N = 1202) sample of officer candidates in the Western USA. Results supported the reliability, factor structure, and lack of gender or ethnic bias of the M-PULSE, and scores were generally uncorrelated with age and educational background. These results empirically support the M-PULSE as a psychometrically sound instrument for law enforcement selection, and more broadly, may espouse actuarial, contextualized assessment methods.