ABSTRACT

It is important to understand how uniforms influence public perceptions of the police. The current study utilized a randomized design in which undergraduate students at a Canadian university were exposed to a series of photographs of officers wearing different uniform configurations (i.e., special duty vs. traditional uniform, dark vs. light shirt, dishevelled vs. tidy uniform, and uniform trousers with and without a stripe). Participants rated each officer on numerous scales including: (1) the officer’s personal qualities (e.g., helpfulness), (2) abilities or behaviors that the officer is likely to display (e.g., excessive force), and (3) the behavioral intentions of the participant toward the observed officer (e.g., willing to confide sensitive information to them). When controlling for general perceptions of police legitimacy, results suggest that, compared to the control conditions (i.e., normal operational uniform), introducing the uniform manipulations significantly influenced ratings on items related to community relations, professionalism, and officer safety. The current study speaks to the complicated relationship between the police appearing approachable and professional to the public, while also considering possible officer safety concerns associated with their uniform.

摘要

了解制服如何影响公众对警察的看法很重要。目前的研究采用随机设计，其中加拿大大学的本科生暴露于一系列穿着不同制服配置的军官照片（即，特勤与传统制服，深色与浅色衬衫，蓬乱与整洁制服，以及带条纹和不带条纹的制服裤子）。参与者从多个尺度对每位警官进行评分，包括：(1) 警官的个人品质（例如，乐于助人），(2) 警官可能表现出的能力或行为（例如，过度用力），以及 (3) 警官的行为意图。参与者对被观察的官员（例如，愿意向他们透露敏感信息）。在控制对警察合法性的普遍看法时，结果表明，与控制条件（即正常操作制服）相比，引入制服操作显着影响了与社区关系、专业性和官员安全相关的项目的评级。目前的研究说明了警察在公众面前显得平易近人和专业之间的复杂关系，同时也考虑了与他们的制服相关的警官安全问题。