Sniper Psychological Screening Project

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Sniper Psychological Screening Project
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Overview

• Background
• Aim
• Personality and job performance
• Job Analysis
• Psychological screening measures
• Screening model

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Background

• The Sniping Basic Specification Report states
  that personnel must be psychologically
  screened and assessed for suitability and
  employment as a sniper
• Current selection system - not being done
• Recent combat operations identified requirement
  for screening

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Aim

• To develop a valid and legally defensible
  psychological screening process for sniper
  selection
• Three Steps
• Job analyses to identify related personality
  traits
• Development of a selection model
• Trial of screening measures and procedures

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Personality Job Performance

• Personality defined by Big 5 dimensions
• Conscientiousness
• Neuroticism
• Openness to Experience
• Agreeableness
• Extroversion
• Conscientiousness Neuroticism valid predictors
  of job performance across all jobs
• Remaining domains are more relevant to specific
  jobs or narrower criteria

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Conscientiousness

• High scorers predisposed to be organized,
  disciplined, diligent, dependable, methodical,
  and purposeful
• High scorers more likely to thoroughly and
  correctly perform work tasks, to use their
  initiative, solve problems, remain committed to
  work performance and to stay focused on tasks

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Neuroticism

• Opposite of Emotional Stability
• Is the most pervasive trait across personality
  measures
• Includes being anxious, depressed, angry,
  embarrassed, insecure, emotional and worried
• High scorers more likely to experience a variety
  of problems, including negative moods (anxiety,
  fear, irritability and depression) and physical
  symptoms

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Participants

• N25 (all male)
• All qualified snipers
• 10 qualified Advanced snipers
• 15 had deployed on operations in sniper role

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Procedure

• Job analysis
• Psychological screening measures

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Job Analysis

• Job Analyses conducted to identify personality
  traits and psychological characteristics required
  for successful sniper performance
• Two Methods
• Functional Job Analysis (modified) with qualified
  Snipers
• Personality-Related Position Requirements
  Questionnaire (N 25) (Raymark Schmit, 1997)

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Psychological Screening Measures

• NEO Personality Inventory-Revised
• Measure of the Big Five personality factors
• Cutoff scores for related factor and facets to be
  used
• Holden Psychological Screening Inventory
• Brief screen for psychological maladjustment
• Psychiatric Symptomatology (e.g. Anxiety)
• Social Symptomatolgy (Psychopathic and Antisocial
  tendencies)
• Depression
• Invalid Responding Index (faking)

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Job Analyses Findings

• Related Personality Traits
• Findings consistent across both JA method
• High Conscientiousness
• e.g., Self-discipline, Achievement striving,
  Deliberation, Order
• Low Neuroticism
• e.g., Anxiety, Vulnerability, Impulsiveness
• Low tender-mindedness (Agreeableness)
• Emotional detachment from target

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Sniper Personality Related Position Requirements
Results  

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Conclusion

• Assessment to use multiple sources of information
• Personality and psychological suitability
  selection criteria based on job analyses findings
• Measures with demonstrated validity and
  reliability to be used
• Normative data based on sniper sample to be
  employed for red flag screening purposes
• A Select-Out approach is recommended

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• Questions?