Response distortion

Question 1

When might people distort their responses?

Answer 1

• in high-stakes situations: Employment selection, internet dating, selection for education

Question 2

What are different types of distortion?

Answer 2

• CONSCIOUS (impression management- you know you’re neurotic but trying not to show this) OR UNCONSCIOUS: self deceptive enhancement; self deceptive denial (they think they don’t have these qualities)

Question 3

What are some types of biases in self-deceptive thinking?

Answer 3

• EGOISTIC BIAS: they value AGENCY (they are in-charge and able to be active in change); exaggerate one’s status, linked with SELF-DECEPTIVE ENHANCEMENT
• MORALISTIC BIAS: their overall value is communion (wanting to reach out to others), think they’re good and kind, deny socially deviant impulses, linked with SELF-DECEPTIVE DENIAL.

Question 4

What are some examples of faking good?

Answer 4

Faking good on a test

• educational selection
• employment selection
• dating/inter-personal evaluations

Question 5

What are some examples of faking bad/malingering?

Answer 5

1. legal context (obtain benefits, diminished responsibility)
2. educational context (special treatment)
3. military (discharge, special duties)

Question 6

What are some methods for detecting fakers?

Answer 6

• “lie” scales (aka social desirability scales - most common technique e.g. “I always pick up my litter”)
• response time rubrics (if there is pausing, ppl
• over claiming technique (suggest concepts that don’t exist e.g. Paulhus)
• Bayesian truth serum: for each dichotomous item, test takers estimate the proportion of ppl they think will answer the same–>ppl who answer honestly will OVER-ESTIMATE the proportion of ppl who agree with them.

Question 7

What are some ways of reducing faking?

Answer 7

• forced - choice format (“which statement is most like you?”- give all positive answers
• verifiable statements (especially biodata)
• other-reports
• warning
• implicit measurement techniques

Question 8

What are some examples of lie scales? What is the basic idea of lie scales?

Answer 8

• Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability, Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory Lie Scale, Eysenck’s lie scale, Paulhus Balanced Index of Desirable Responding (Self-deceptive enhancement, denial and IM)
• everyone does these things, so that if you don’t admit to them, you are lying.

Question 9

What are some problems with lie scales?

Answer 9

1. lie scales relate to substantive personality traits (high scorers might actually be nice people, not liars)
   - possible interpretation: lie scales do not measure lying but may measure actual aspects of personality.

Question 10

What are some different types of warnings?

Answer 10

1+ 2:DETECTION WARNINGS VS CONSEQUENCES WARNINGS

3: reasoning warnings - convince test -takers that answering honestly is in their best interest)
4: educational warnings: convince test-takers of the validity of the tests and selection procedures
5: moral warnings

Question 11

How do researchers compare groups scores in faking research?

Answer 11

• compare job applicants to others (e.g. student samples/community samples)
• MEASURE LOWER LIMIT OF FAKING
• there may be real group differences (e.g. psychology students

Question 12

How do researchers compare individual scores in faking research?

Answer 12

• compared “answer honestly” vs. “maximise your score”

- “answer honestly” may have self-deceptive bias

Question 13

What is an incentive manipulation in faking research towards getting real scores?

Answer 13

• compare scores under no stakes conditions with scores obtained when there is an incentive to do well.