When selecting applicants for professions with job descriptions involving complex human interaction, identifying suitable candidates is essential. This strongly applies in police selection, because police officers must act appropriately at all times, deal with difficult and sometimes dangerous work situations, and come into contact with people who are in highly emotional states, such as anxiety, fear, excitement, and shock. However, suitability is a broad and vague concept that cannot be even defined without understanding the value of various personal skills and qualities for specific duties, ways that such skills are manifested during life as an officer (potentially both on- and off-duty), and appropriate ways to assess them. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the personal skills and qualities that are relevant to suitability for the police profession with a special focus on the concept of empathy, and to investigate how it can be conceptualized and measured in the context of selection. Two of the four studies focused on different perspectives regarding the personal skills and qualities of a good police officer, while the other two focused on theoretical aspects and practical measurement of empathy. Mixed methods were used, in acknowledgement of the value of using different forms of data collection, material, and analytical methods to achieve valid information. The results and findings support several of the personal skills and qualities that have been identified in previous research and also can be found as criteria in police selection. Empathy should be considered in the selection process, but it is also important to ensure that there is an alignment between the definition of the concept and practical outcomes in police work. The findings indicate that empathy could be conceptualized in a relevant way using a social cognitive neuroscience (SCN) approach. In particular, a modified, Swedish 4-factor version of the Empathy Assessment Index (based on recent theoretical advances in SCN) appears to have considerable potential for further development. Future studies will focus on areas identified as requiring further research, such as the development of this instrument by adding complementary measures focusing on manifestations of empathy and other relevant qualities in actual work-related situations. Other aspects that require further attention include the definition, assessment, and impact of social desirability in selection contexts.

<p>Att arbeta med kommunikativ förmåga är en av grundstenarna i logopedens yrkesutövning. Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla ett självskattningsinstrument som kan mäta kommunikativ förmåga, med möjlighet att fånga upp både positiva och negativa aspekter av förmågan. Instrumentet utvecklades i enlighet med klassisk mätteori. En första utvärdering av instrumentet gjordes i ett pilottest med 13 respondenter. Resultatet ledde till att antal items, det vill säga frågor, minskades från 133 till 78 och individuella items förändrades vid behov. 254 respondenter fyllde sedan i det reviderade formuläret på internet. Fyra faktorer kunde uttydas ur materialet. Dessa var: beteende i sociala situationer, funktionell kommunikation, lingvistisk kunskap och receptiv förmåga samt röst. De fyra faktorerna förklarade 30,4% av variansen i materialet. Cronbachs alfa för alla 78 item var α = 0,76. Resultatet av denna studie är ett instrument i behov av ytterligare revidering och utveckling, främst med avseende på validering.</p> / <p>Working with communication is a key element in professional speech and language therapy. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report instrument that measures communicative ability, with a possibility to capture both positive and negative aspects of communication. The instrument was developed in accordance with classical measurement theory. A first evaluation of the instrument with 13 respondents was conducted. As a result the number of items, ie questions, was reduced from 133 to 78 and individual items were altered when needed. 254 respondents then answered the revised form on the internet. Four factors could be extracted from the material. These were: behavior in social situations, functional communication, linguistic skills and receptive skills plus voice. The four factors explained 30,4% of the variance within the material. Cronbach's alpha for all 78 items was α = 0,76. The result of this study is an instrument in need of further revision and development, primarily with respect to validation.</p>

Att arbeta med kommunikativ förmåga är en av grundstenarna i logopedens yrkesutövning. Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla ett självskattningsinstrument som kan mäta kommunikativ förmåga, med möjlighet att fånga upp både positiva och negativa aspekter av förmågan. Instrumentet utvecklades i enlighet med klassisk mätteori. En första utvärdering av instrumentet gjordes i ett pilottest med 13 respondenter. Resultatet ledde till att antal items, det vill säga frågor, minskades från 133 till 78 och individuella items förändrades vid behov. 254 respondenter fyllde sedan i det reviderade formuläret på internet. Fyra faktorer kunde uttydas ur materialet. Dessa var: beteende i sociala situationer, funktionell kommunikation, lingvistisk kunskap och receptiv förmåga samt röst. De fyra faktorerna förklarade 30,4% av variansen i materialet. Cronbachs alfa för alla 78 item var α = 0,76. Resultatet av denna studie är ett instrument i behov av ytterligare revidering och utveckling, främst med avseende på validering. / Working with communication is a key element in professional speech and language therapy. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report instrument that measures communicative ability, with a possibility to capture both positive and negative aspects of communication. The instrument was developed in accordance with classical measurement theory. A first evaluation of the instrument with 13 respondents was conducted. As a result the number of items, ie questions, was reduced from 133 to 78 and individual items were altered when needed. 254 respondents then answered the revised form on the internet. Four factors could be extracted from the material. These were: behavior in social situations, functional communication, linguistic skills and receptive skills plus voice. The four factors explained 30,4% of the variance within the material. Cronbach's alpha for all 78 items was α = 0,76. The result of this study is an instrument in need of further revision and development, primarily with respect to validation.