PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Wendy Mendes

MA-Research
December 1995

Attributions about Male Criminals by Police Officers as a Function of Duration of Experience

    The view of stoic veteran police officers as being unsympathetic and cynical has become controversial.  Assuming that police officers’ views of the cause of criminal behavior affects their treatment of suspects, the current study assesses attributions of criminal behavior by officers.  Fictional cases of male suspects were presented with varying information about criminal background, probability of guilt, race and age.  Officers rated perceived causes of criminal behavior on three attributional dimensions: Locus of causality, stability and controllability.  Results showed that the longer officers had served, the more internal, stable and controllable were their attributions.  Whether suspects were described as victims of the environment or as career criminals also affected ratings.  Degree of certainty regarding suspects’ guilt did not differentially affect the ratings.  Experience had a significant effect, even when controlling the potential confounds of political belief and social affiliation.  Implications for police work and possible cohort variables were discussed.

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