Police Sergeant Practice Exam

Which of the following is a common rating error associated with overly positive appraisals?

1. Error of central tendency

2. Error of severity

3. Error of leniency

4. Error of bias

The correct answer is: Error of leniency

The error of leniency refers to the tendency of evaluators to rate the performance of employees more favorably than is warranted. This often leads to inflated performance ratings, where individuals receive higher scores than they might deserve based on their actual performance. Such a bias can undermine the appraisal process, making it difficult to accurately assess employee contributions and identify areas for improvement. In contrast, the other errors mentioned serve different purposes or have different manifestations. For example, the error of central tendency involves avoiding extremes in performance ratings, leading to most employees receiving average scores regardless of actual performance. The error of severity reflects a tendency to rate employees too harshly. Lastly, the error of bias encompasses a broader range of subjective influences affecting evaluations but does not specifically denote overly positive assessments. Understanding leniency is crucial for creating fair and constructive performance evaluations.