A longitudinal validation study of correctional officer job performance as predicted by the IPI and MMPI

Abstract

The long-term validities of two psychological inventories, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI), were examined for 246 male correctional officers employed for an average of three-and-one-half years. Each officer had previously completed both testing instruments as part of the agency's pre-employment screening program. Data on absences, latenesses, and disciplinary interviews were collected from supervisory reports. Discriminant-function equations developed from IPI scales alone correctly classified a greater percentage of officers as to “positive” or “negative” job-performance behavior than did equations developed from the MMPI scales alone. The greatest percentage of officers was correctly classified when all IPI and MMPI scales were used in the prediction equations. The significance of these longitudinal research results are discussed, and areas of futher research are suggested.