The Validity of Assessment Center Ratings and 16PF Personality Trait Scores in Police Sergeant Promotions: A Case of Incremental Validity

Assessment centers (AC) have become a mainstay of promotion systems for both the private and public sectors -- police agencies included. While costly to develop and implement, their track record of validity and legal defensibility has justified their increased use. Personality trait scores have shown incremental validity, however, when combined with cognitive ability tests in predicting a range of employee and managerial behaviors, but not for state police recruits. Personality assessment may have a role in predicting job performance and making promotion decisions when used in combination with other predictors (e.g., cognitive ability testing, biodata, and AC ratings). Moreover, the AC has been shown to be equally valid in predicting on-the-job performance for both males and females in law enforcement and related settings. Therefore, it would be unlikely that the use of a more heterogeneous sample in the present study would significantly alter the findings.