The effects of subjective time pressure and individual differences on hypotheses generation and action prioritization in police investigations

Alison, Laurence and Doran, Bernadette and Long, Matthew L. and Power, Nicola and Humphrey, Amy (2013) The effects of subjective time pressure and individual differences on hypotheses generation and action prioritization in police investigations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 19 (1). pp. 83-93. ISSN 1076-898X

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Abstract

When individuals perceive time pressure, they decrease the generation of diagnostic hypotheses and prioritize information. This article examines whether individual differences in (a) internal time urgency, (b) experience, and (c) fluid mental ability can moderate these effects. Police officers worked through a computer-based rape investigative scenario, in which 35 were subjected to a time pressure manipulation, with their hypotheses generation and prioritization skills compared with a control (n 41). Group 1 was told they would “get less time to complete the scenario compared with other officers,” although both groups had equal amounts of time. Regression analyses found that time pressure reduced hypothesis generation and that individual differences in time urgency moderated this effect; individuals who tend to perceive time to pass more slowly than it is continued to generate hypotheses despite the presence of time pressure. Time pressure also influenced the likelihood of action prioritization at the start of the investigation. Time pressure was found to increase action prioritization, but only for officers with low time urgency or high fluid ability. Experience had no effect on time pressure during the investigative scenario. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200/3205
Subjects:
?? EXPERIMENTAL AND COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY ??
ID Code:
78373
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
25 Feb 2016 11:50
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
21 Sep 2023 01:59