RESEARCH PROJECT NO. 5 PROGRESS REPORT NO.1 RESEARCH ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP57-00012A000200090005-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 19, 2001
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 29, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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EAROH PROJECT No. 5
FROGMS REPORT No.
R aCH ON THE F< YGHOIfG IGAL REQN IREMNTS OF TIM INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
3t?.z tion
25X1A9A
Th'S), Accordingly, interviews were held with the following TR (S) stsf
A proposal. for research on the identification and definition of the
psychological requi.tren nts of the intelligence officer was approved with the
agree .nt that initial efforts be confined to interviewing staff m^ mbers of
members who had field experience during their careers:
Based on the data obtained in these Interviews, tentative definitions of the
job re tairements of case officers have been formulated.
IL is the purpose of this report to discuss these tentative definitions
and to recormm,nd further research activity, Evaluations of these 'tentative
dsflnitious and recommendations made should be in terms of the proposed uses
for the states nt of the job'requirementsm Therefore, before discussing the
tentative definitions and presenting recommendations for future work, the
proposed uses and the demands these. uses make on the statement of job
requirements wi l? be briefly reviewed;,
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Fro se 7 Usep of JobN.? cements
The statement of job requirements is basic to the validation of assess-
ment. The essential steps in validation of assessment include obtaining
' a; curate and clearly defined appraisals of the job performance of a
K repr ae tative sample of the individuals who have been assessed, and comparing
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these appraisals of actual job performance with predictions of job perform
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ance as provided in assessment reports,, Information relating to job per-
form?anoa reported about yin individual can range from a general impression
as to over-ail effectiveness to a report of specific actions which were
judged by his supervisor to be'either effective or ineffective. Similarly,
an assessment report can provide information ranging from a general over-all
rating of a candidatega suitability for a projected assignment to ratings
and d.is-t-ussion of specific traits, aptitudes, and abilities important to
effective future performance, Availability of precisely defined information
relating to job performance and precisely defined predictions of job perform-
ance are very desirable for validation purposes since comparisons of precise
information make more meaningful interpretation of findings possible.
In collecting information about an individualva performance, whether it
be job performance or performance in assessment, it is essential to collect
informationsteti.c to insure that all critic areas of information
will be included. Information collected and reported when job appraisals
are made should pertain to all types of job performance which are critical
in the sense of making the difference between success and failure in achieving
the over-all goals of the organization,, Similarly, information should be
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collected in assessment which will provide a basis for making predictions
of job performance in critical areas.
It is the function of a job requirements study to define the critical
areas of job performance. The results of such a study provide a basis for:
(1) Developing job appraisal procedures which enable the
supervisor to give systematic and comprehensive reports
.of critical job performance o
(2) Developing assessment reporting procedures which will pro-
vide systematic and comprehensive predictions of job
performance.
(3) Formulating hypotheses concerning the abilities, traits,
and aptitudes related to effective job performance for.
use in revising, selecting, and developing assessment Pro-
cedures. These hypotheses are the psychological requirements.
The results can also be used as a basis for developing training evalua-
tion p,a?ocedures which provide evaluations of training performance relating
to future job perform?nce0
'Po _d .hoc for S$~~rly r Job Ret~ui ement-9
The very basic nature of a job requirements study and the important uses
of the results emphasizes the necessity for conducting a well designed study?
In .the original proposal for this study, it was Indicated that special emphasis
would be placed on getting detailed information relating to effective and
ineffective performance of case officers, There are several reasons for basing
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a formulation of job requirements on descriptions of a large number of
specific events in each of which the performance of a case officer was
judged to be significantly related. to the achievement of organizational
goals. First, a sufficiently large and representative sample of such
events will result in a comprehensive statement of the critical. job
requirements. Secondly, the requirements will be defined in terms of
observable behavior. Thirdly, the requirements will be defined in terms
of acceptable standards of performance which case officers can realistically
be expected to meet rather than in terms of ideal standards which only very
rarely can be msto
It is the ultimate purpose of this research, therefore, ts) interview
a large, representative sample of those who are working or have worked
very recently with case officers in field assignments and collect descriptions
of events in wIih the performance of a case officer was judged to be espc-
cAy effective or ineffective,, From these data the critical job require-
ments will be formulated.
It is time-consuming to collect and analyze a sufficient body of data
to provide a comprehensive definition of job requirements based on descrip-
tions of specific events. The need for such a definition in assessment and
training evaluation activities is immediate. Therefore, it was believed
desirable to formlate a tentative list of job requirements based on expert
opinion,, In Interviews with TR(S) staff members, descriptions of especially
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effective and especially ineffective case officers were obtained. These
data were used as the basis for formulating a tentative list of critical
Job requirements for intelligence officers.
During each interview, notes of the comments made were taken, and
following the interview a list of the job requirements described by the
Interviewee was prepared. Upon completion of the thirteen interviews,
a master list was prepared which included the data from the interview
records. This list was reduced by combining those requirements which were
Judged to be identical or nearly identical. Then, the requirements were
grouped into five r, jor areas. These areas are:
I. Motivation
II. Social Relations
III. Emotional. Adjustment
IV. Effective Intelligence
V. Security Consciousness
The area headings were selected as convenient categories to use for
organizing the individual requirements. They should be considered as
descriptive headings rather than explanatory headings. It is not assumed that
the requiremnts listed under a particular heading are highly correlated
in a Psychological sense, nor is it assumed that there is a low correlation
between requirements listed under different categories. The requirements are
formulated in terms of what the effective intelligence officer does rather
than in terms of why he acts as he does.
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The completed list of requirements was reviewed by psychologists
from the Assessment Staff and the Research and Validation Staff, and
suggested revisions were made to eliminate existing ambiguities. The
following list is the revised one.
I. I TITIVATION
A. Accepts and supports policies and goals of the Agency.
1. Maintains basic allegiance and devotion to political and
4ultural ideals of America.
2. Accepts and supports Agency policies and regulations,
including those peculiar to covert intelligence operations.
B. Accepts responsibility for performing duties required-by job.
1. Works efficiently and hard, allowing a minimum of inter-
ference from distractions.
2, Works overtime when required by job demands.
3. Accepts and performs duties required by job, including what
may be considered to be routine and menial tasks.
~. Performs duties effectively for which there is little or
no recognition.
.5. Places proper performance of assignments before personal
convenience,,
?6. Accepts responsibility for recision making required by job.
C. Shows interest in improving effectiveness.
1. Improves effectiveness by studying historical, political,
and cultural background of area.
2. Takes advantage of available opportunities'to acquire
useful skills and knowledge.
II, SOCIAL RELATIONS
A. Is skillful and objective in evaluating the actions of agents.
l.. Considers all likely motives for significant actions of
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E, Shows personal integrity in reporting activities and handling
Agency funds and property.
IV. EFFEI T 1VE M NOE
A. Shows knowledge of basic intelligence, trade craft In planning
and carrying out activities,
B. Shows resourcefulness and ingenuity in planning and carrying
out work.
1. Makes effective use of available skills, materials
and opportunities to achieve Agency goals.
2. Plans activities thoroughly including alternate plans in
event of. obstacles.
3Q Makes effective use of the experience of others in
planning and carrying out activities.
4. Modifies plans or procedures without delay when
necessary,
C. Makes decisions effectively?
1. Reserves judgment until essential facts have been
evaluated.
2. Makes decisions based on proper consideration of pertinent
facts.
3. Makes prompt and definite decisions when required and
initiates necessary action' promptly.
D. Learns and remembers area knowledge.
1. Acquires and retains knowledge of area politics, culture,
and key personalities.
20 Acquires and retains detailed knowledge of area
facilities.
E. Prepares and analyzes reports effectively.
1. Writes detailed, objective, and clear reports on
his activities.
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2. Writes well organized reports.
3. Makes concise and accurate condensations of complex and
lengthy reports.
4. Recognizes critical, significant, and highly relevant
information in reports.
5. Identifies poorly substantiated information, incon-
sistencies, or fabrications in reports.
V. SECUR ITY CONSCIOUSNESS
A. Considers carefully security risks when planning activities.
R. Observes security precautions in carrying out activities.
C._ Observes security regulations during off-duty hours,
llecommendations
The following recommendations for future research are proposed:
(l) It is recommended that the tentative list of ?job requirements be
discussed with intelligence officers who have had extensive field
experience (preferably recent) in order to obtain their judgments
concerning the comprehensiveness of the list and the clarity of
the definitions. It would also be desirable to obtain estimates
of the importance of the various requirements in these discussions.
It is recommended that the list be discussed with those members
of the TR(S) staff with field experience who have not been
interviewed to date and also those who have been interviewed to
date as well as other available intelligence officers.
(2) It is recommended that arrangements be made to interview intelli-
genes officers returning for debriefings in order to discuss the
tentative list of requirements with them and to collect descriptions
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of specific events in which case officers were observed to perform
especially effectively or ineffective ly,,
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