Search

The psychological attributes associated with both psychological potential and managerial competence are regarded as valuable assets for any company. Consequently, it is in the best interest of companies to actively search for the most potential candidates and develop their competencies. Organizations expend substantial resources to assess the potential of prospective employees during the recruitment process. This research aims to evaluate the extent to which employees' potential can predict their competencies. We assessed candidates' potential using self-report scales measuring grit and a growth mindset, while competencies in achieving results and managing change were evaluated through the assessment center method. The data was collected from 155 civil servants employed by the Makassar City Government. The findings reveal that potential does not significantly influence employees' competencies, whether it be Grit for results orientation or Growth mindset for change management competence. After conducting correlation tests between grit and growth mindset to social desirability bias, we found varied results with Grit (r= 0.1718, p = 0.03248) and growth mindset (r=0.0703, p-value = 0.3847), suggesting diverse correlations between the investigated variables. In light of these results, we recommend a reevaluation of the practice of relying on potential as a predictor of competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social desirability (SD) scales have been used for decades in psychology and beyond. These scales are sought to measure individuals' tendencies to present themselves overly positive in self‐reports, thus allowing to control for SD biases. However, research increasingly questions the validity of SD scales, proposing that SD scales measure substantive trait characteristics rather than response bias. To provide a large‐scale empirical test of the validity of SD scales, we conducted a meta‐analysis (k = 41; N = 8980) on the relation between SD scale scores and prosocial behavior in economic games (where acting in a prosocial manner is highly socially desirable). If SD scales measure what they are supposed to (namely, SD bias), they should be negatively linked to prosocial behavior; if SD scales measure socially desirable traits, they should be positively linked to prosocial behavior. Unlike both possibilities, the meta‐analytic correlation between SD scores and prosocial behavior was close to zero, suggesting that SD scales neither clearly measure bias nor substantive traits. This conclusion was also supported by moderation analyses considering differences in the implementation of games and the SD scales used. The results further question the validity of SD scales with the implication that scholars and practitioners should refrain from using them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extended theory of planned behaviour was used to explain children's self-reported recycling behaviour with an inclusion of parental behaviour and two background factors of child gender and social desirability. Ninety-nine pupils aged 8–11 years and one parent of each participated in the study. Children took part in structured one-on-one interviews, where they responded to questions about their recycling behaviour, willingness (desire) to recycle, environmental attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. Parents provided their answers on the compatible behavioural items. In addition, children responded to questions from the short version of the Children's Social Desirability scale. For the analysis, three models were tested step by step. In the final model, where background factors were introduced, parental behaviour remained the only predictor of child behaviour, while pupils' willingness to recycle remained to be determined by the perceived behavioural control only. Conclusions and implications regarding study findings are provided in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

List experiments are a widely used survey technique for estimating the prevalence of socially sensitive attitudes or behaviors. Their design, however, makes them vulnerable to bias: because treatment group respondents see a greater number of items (J + 1) than control group respondents (J), the treatment group mean may be mechanically inflated due simply to the greater number of items. The few previous studies that directly examine this do not arrive at definitive conclusions. We find clear evidence of inflation in an original dataset, though only among respondents with low educational attainment. Furthermore, we use available data from previous studies and find similar heterogeneous patterns. The evidence of heterogeneous effects has implications for the interpretation of previous research using list experiments, especially in developing world contexts. We recommend a simple solution: using a necessarily false placebo statement for the control group equalizes list lengths, thereby protecting against mechanical inflation without imposing costs or altering interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychometric properties of the Sims, Szilagyi, and Keller (1976) Job Characteristic Inventory (JCI) were evaluated. In particular, internal consistency reliability of JCI subscales, convergent and discriminant validity as assessed by use of a multitrait-multirater (superior and subordinate) matrix, relationships of subscale scores to measures of social desirability of responses and of acquiescence tendencies, and substantive validity were considered. The JCI was seen to be largely independent of social desirability and acquiescence tendencies. However, the results suggest some overlap between subscales, little convergence between superior and subordinate ratings of the subordinate's job, and that substantive validity is in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

background Self-concept clarity is one of the features describing the structural aspect of the self. It refers to the extent to which the contents of an individual's self-concept are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable. The aim of the study was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS). participants and procedure A total of 2507 graduates and undergraduates participated in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 70 years (M = 24.74, SD = 23.00); 66% of them were female. The Polish version of the SCCS was developed using the back-translation method. The SCCS was administered along with measures of sense of self (Sense of Self Scale), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), psychological distress (Goldberg General Health Questionnaire), personality (NEO-Five Factor Inventory), and social desirability (Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale). results The factor structure, reliability, and validity of the scale was investigated. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed a one-factor solution. Internal reliability and test-retest reliability was high. Significant relations between SCCS and weak sense of self, self-esteem, psychological distress, personality, and social desirability supported its convergent validity. conclusions This study demonstrated that the Polish version of the SCCS is a reliable and valid self-report measure for the self-concept clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much controversy exists regarding the phenomenon of faking questionnaires. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate the contribution of personality, intelligence and the social desirability scale (SDS) in detecting faking, where the possible interfering variables of gender and prior knowledge of psychology are explored. The sample consists of two independent groups: (1) undergraduate psychology students and (2) high-school students. The results indicate that score changes under instruction to fake good occur in both desirable and undesirable directions, as well as that different variables predict successful and unsuccessful faking. Personality dimensions, intelligence, and SDS are also pointed to as having a weak effect on the ability to fake (related more to faking transparent items), as well as that failure to fake is found to be linked to low intelligence scores. The most significant variables to predict successful faking on virtually all amorality scales were found to be “psychology student” and “male”. These final results demand further empirical evidence and review as they are not sufficiently representative in the literature thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the effect of education on social tolerance is consistently positive across different time periods. Since the number of students in higher education has been increasing for the past decades in the U.S., the effect of education on social tolerance may have changed. Using the data from General Social Survey (GSS) 1977 ~ 2012 and hierarchical age-period-cohort models, the results of this study show that: (1) people with more education express more social tolerance for homosexuality and homosexual acceptance; (2) the effect of education on social tolerance for homosexuality has been continuously increasing over time; and (3) the effect of education on social tolerance for homosexual acceptance is small, but is still positive over time periods. People in the U.S. have become more tolerant of homosexuality and homosexual acceptance, and younger generations have been shown to be more open to homosexual acceptance and more tolerant than older generations. Liberal religious and political views are positively associated with homosexuality and homosexual acceptance. Finally, using a Monte Carlo simulation and a comparison between the simulation and OLS results, this paper also finds that social desirability bias influences individuals' social tolerance for homosexuality and homosexual acceptance. Social desirability bias decreases the estimate of education on homosexuality and homosexual acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty terms (e.g., possible) are words that are not fixed and hence open to interpretation. This research examined the role of social desirability in how these words are interpreted in self-report questions. Participants in Experiments 1 ( N = 96; MTurk workers) and 2 ( N = 96; college students) judged trait ( N = 48) and behavior ( N = 36) items endorsed by a hypothetical individual to be more likely if they were lower in social desirability. In Experiments 3 ( N = 97) and 4 ( N = 97) college student participants interpreted four different uncertainty terms (likely, possible, unlikely, and pretty sure) as indicating greater certainty when they referred to socially undesirable (relative to socially desirable) traits ( N = 36) and behaviors ( N = 24). These results suggest that participants may interpret self-report items differently, depending on the social desirability of the content.Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the ways of controlling for the influence of social expectations on the answers given by survey respondents is to use a social desirability scale together with the main questions. The social desirability scale, which was included in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) international comparative study for this purpose, was used on a Russian-language sample of teachers without cross-cultural adaptation. In addition, this tool was based on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, whose psychometric characteristics have only been evaluated so far within the framework of classical test theory with mixed results. In order to fill the gap in our understanding of the validity of the TALIS social desirability scale within the framework of item response theory, we analyzed the data obtained from a representative sample of Russian teachers. The results showed that the scale had acceptable reliability, significant unidimensionality, and, at the same time, a number of serious problems with its functionality. We propose measures to improve the quality of the psychometric properties of the scale on the basis of the obtained results, including simulated data. We draw fundamental conclusions about the structure of the social desirability construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS) is commonly used to validate other self-report measures within social and health research. Concerns over the scale's length (33 items) have repeatedly been raised. Nevertheless, prior efforts to develop psychometrically sound short forms of the MCSDS have not led to consistent findings. The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the MCSDS, in accordance with guidelines for best practices in short form and scale development. Information on item properties, obtained with item response theory (IRT) and cognitive interviews (CogI), were used to eliminate items with poor properties and select items for a short form to be administered via the Internet. The IRT analyses were based on responses from 536 Internet panel members and the CogI sample consisted of 40 interviewees. Ten items were dropped due to poor psychometric properties and out of the 23 remaining items a ten item short form was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of attentional bias in statistics anxiety in two experiments. Participants were 99 (68% females) and 104 (67% females) psychology undergraduates at James Cook University, respectively. These participants had either never taken a statistics course before but will enroll in one in the future, were currently enrolled in a statistics course, or had successfully completed at least one statistics course but were not currently enrolled in a statistics course. Participants completed the emotional Stroop task and the dot probe task, the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale, Social Desirability Scale, and State- Trait Anxiety Inventory. Across the experiments, participants high in statistics anxiety had the same levels of attentional bias as their low-anxious counterparts, indicating an absence of attentional bias in statistics anxiety. Implications include a reconsideration of the cognitive mechanisms underlying statistics anxiety. Specifically, individuals with statistics anxiety might be interpreting danger based on the absence of safety indicators instead of the presence of danger indicators. Alternatively, another form of cognitive bias, such as an interpretation bias might underlie statistics anxiety. Future research should be conducted to compare the plausibility of these two explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, implicit methods have been employed as a method to understand the underlying attitudes of the participant while also bypassing the social desirability biases that explicit measures are vulnerable to. Unfortunately, the literature has not considered the viewpoints of the individuals who participate in this process and the face validity they ascribe to the test’s results. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals respond to engaging in and receiving the results of an implicit test that addresses a sensitive topic and exploring the subsequent methodological implications. Specifically, we conduct a qualitative exploratory study of individuals’ reactions to their scores on the race-based implicit association test (IAT) using publically accessible comments from online message boards. Overall, we discuss four themes: the reporting of results, questioning IAT legitimacy, explicit racism/in-group behavior, and humor. Using a sensemaking theoretical framework, we discuss our findings and make recommendations for the future use of implicit tests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Epilepsy is a major health issue in rural areas of developing countries. However, heterogeneity of epilepsy prevalence in different studies precludes assessment of the magnitude of the problem. Using similar protocols, two population-based surveys were conducted 12 years apart (2003 and 2015) in a rural Ecuadorian village (Atahualpa). The only difference was a higher people compliance with interviewers during the second survey. Epilepsy prevalence in the 2003 survey was 13.5 per 1,000 (18/1,332) in villagers aged ≥20 years. This rate increased to 26.8 per 1,000 (41/1,530) in the 2015 survey. Thirty-three persons with epilepsy detected during the second survey lived in the village in 2003; six of them had seizures starting after 2003. Of the remaining 27 cases, 13 (48%) denied their problem during the first survey. Further interview revealed that denial was related to lack of confidence with unacquainted field personnel. Social Desirability Scale-17 scores were lower in those who admitted having epilepsy than in those who denied their condition (p = 0.048). Lack of confidence with interviewers and a social desirability bias account for a sizable proportion of epilepsy denial in the study population, and may explain heterogeneity of epilepsy prevalence reported in studies conducted in poor rural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares face-to-face interviews (PAPI) and computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) on voter turnout of the 2004 presidential election in Taiwan. Results of voting behavior from both surveys are not consistent with actual voter turnout. Results from the PAPI sample are consistent with previous findings that respondents are partial toward the elected officials, but the CATI results are not. The latter results may be attributed to the disproportional distribution of parents’ ethnicity in the sample, although it is also possible that CATI respondents are simply telling the truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon called "heaping" often occurs in self-reported data, where survey participants round the values of variables such as income, weight, or height to some degree. Respondents may also be more prone to round off or up due to social desirability. By ignoring the heaping process, spurious spikes and bumps are introduced when applying kernel density methods directly to the rounded data. A generalized Stochastic Expectation Maximization (SEM) approach accounting for heaping with potentially asymmetric rounding behavior in univariate kernel density estimation is presented in this work. The proposed methods are applied to survey data of the German Socio-Economic Panel and exhibit very good performance in simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chronic pruritus is a subjective symptom, mainly measured through patient reported outcomes. Our aim is to assess two different methods regarding the change of symptoms: a visual dynamic pruritus score ( vDPS) documented by patients, and a numerical value ( nDPS) documented by physicians. Methods Inferential statistics and reliability analyses have been performed on data collected in 2013. Results Data of 701 patients were analysed (45.6% males, 54.4% females, mean age 60 ± 16 years). The nDPS showed less extreme and generally lower values than the vDPS. There was a slight concordance between both methods; the highest concordance was seen for no/weak change and very good reduction. Conclusion The difference between patient and physician assessed same score points to an important bias in pruritus assessment which has to be taken into account especially in clinical trials. Though further studies are needed, the patient-based assessment seems to be less biased by a social desirability effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While several studies have examined how particular personality traits are related to dopamine D 2/3 receptor (D 2/3 R) availability in the striatum of humans, few studies have reported how multiple traits measured in the same persons are differentially related to D 2/3 R availability in different striatal sub-regions. We examined how personality traits measured with the Karolinska Scales of Personality are related to striatal D 2/3 R availability measured with [ 11 C]-raclopride in 30 healthy humans. Based on previous the literature, five personality traits were hypothesized to be most likely related to D 2/3 R availability: impulsiveness, monotony avoidance, detachment, social desirability, and socialization. We found self-reported impulsiveness was negatively correlated with D 2/3 R availability in the ventral striatum and globus pallidus. After controlling for age and gender, monotony avoidance was also negatively correlated with D 2/3 R availability in the ventral striatum and globus pallidus. Socialization was positively correlated with D 2/3 R availability in the ventral striatum and putamen. After controlling for age and gender, the relationship between socialization and D 2/3 R availability in these regions survived correction for multiple comparisons ( p -threshold=.003). Thus, within the same persons, different personality traits are differentially related to in vivo D 2/3 R availability in different striatal sub-regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-report personality tests are used widely, but it is not uncommon for an individual’s scale score to be invalid due to Socially Desirable Responding (SDR): answering to be viewed favourably. Various indices exist to detect SDR (e.g., faking). The Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS) formerly was the most popular. The current gold standard is the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR), considered more sensitive because its development incorporated newer theoretical and empirical understanding of SDR and more sophisticated multivariate techniques. We compare the efficacy of these measures with surprising results: the MCSDS consistently outperforms the BIDR in identifying fakers. This finding indicates that the MCSDS should be retained because it captures elements of faking more effectively than the modern scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was designed to measure attitudes at the level of automatic unconscious associations. The IAT has largely been shown to be effective in eliminating the ability of test takers to alter their scores toward a socially desirable outcome through intentional conscious cognitive processing. However, some limited evidence has also suggested that IAT scores are influenced by the characteristics of an experimenter, much like many explicit tests, by an effect usually explained in terms of social desirability. The present study was intended to illustrate and resolve this apparent conflict in the literature. Participants expressed less antigay prejudice when in the presence of a gay male experimenter (p = .018), experienced ego-depletion when consciously attempting to manipulate their expressions of prejudice (p= .040), and were not capable of influencing their IAT scores. Results suggested that the IAT is susceptible to an experimenter characteristics effect, and it is argued that this effect is not caused by conscious cognitive processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food choice values (FCVs) are factors that individuals consider when deciding which foods to purchase and/or consume. Given the potentially important implications for health, it is critical for researchers to have access to a validated measure of FCV. Though there is an existing measure of FCV, this measure was developed 20 years ago and recent research suggests additional FCVs exist that are not included in this measure. A series of four studies was conducted to develop a new expanded measure of FCV. An eight-factor model of FCV was supported and confirmed. In aggregate, results from the four studies indicate that the measure is content valid, and has internally consistent scales that also demonstrated acceptable temporal stability and convergent validity. In addition, the eight scales of the measures were independent of social desirability, met criteria for measurement invariance across income groups, and predicted dietary intake. The development of this new measure of FCV may be useful for researchers examining FCVs (FCVs) in the future, as well as for use in intervention and prevention efforts targeting dietary choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research to study driver inattention as a trait-like variable and provide new evidence of validity for the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES). Topics discussed include use of ARDES can for measuring individual differences in driving inattention and as an instrument of driver self-assessment in educational and training; driver distraction as cause of automobile collisions; and evaluation of relationship between inattention and social desirability bias.

Online data collection is becoming increasingly common and has some advantages compared to traditional paper-and-pencil formats, such as reducing loss of data, increasing participants' privacy, and decreasing the effect of social desirability. However, the validity and reliability of this administration format must be established before results can be considered acceptable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity, reliability, and equivalence of paper-and-pencil and online versions of the Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) when applied to Brazilian university students. A crossover design was used, and the Portuguese version of the WCS (in both paper-and-pencil and online formats) was completed by 100 college students. The results indicated adequate fit in both formats. The simultaneous fit of data for both groups was excellent, with strong invariance between models. Adequate convergent validity, internal consistency, and mean score equivalence of the WCS in both formats were observed. Thus, the WCS presented adequate reliability and validity in both administration formats, with equivalence/stability between answers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 213 South Korean undergraduate participants completed an online survey including demographic information (gender, religious beliefs, and past contact with people with disabilities) and a Korean version of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS-K) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (M-C II). The results indicate that participants varied across the three attitudinal domains in the MAS-K (cognition, behavior, and affect). No significant results were found connecting MAS-K scores to participants' demographic variables. However, social desirability was related to participants' responses on the MAS-K. Implications for these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two self-report experiments examined how religiosity affects attributions made for a target person’s death. Online adults (Study 1,N= 427) and undergraduate students (Study 2,N= 326) read about Chris who had a heart attack, used religious or health behaviors, and lived or died. Participants made attributions to Chris and God (both studies), and reported their emotions (Study 2). Participants made more attributions to Chris when he lived than when he died, but only when he used health behaviors. The highly religious made more attributions to God, but not when Chris used religious behaviors and died (theGod-serving bias); they reported the most positive emotions when Chris lived after using religious behaviors (theHallelujah effect). Directions for future research in terms of implicit religious beliefs and normative evaluations of religion are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This investigation of expert witness gender used scenarios addressing threats to the expert, sexuality, parenting by the expert, and lying, and in which intrusive and non-intrusive gender cross-examinations were presented to 352 mock jurors. Male and female experts were matched carefully on attractiveness and other social desirability dimensions. In half of the situations the expert witnesses replied with defensive answers, and in the other half, they replied assertively. The assertive responses were found to be significantly more effective on a number of dependent measures, including perceived credibility. In results consistent with other studies, the male experts were evaluated more positively than the female experts. Sexism and other attitudes of the mock jurors were unrelated to credibility and expert gender. The results are discussed in the context of managing aggressive cross-examinations, role demands for women in the courtroom, and methodological approaches to the study of expert witness gender. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paulhus (1984) proposed a 2-factor model of socially desirable responding (SDR) and created the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) to capture the 2 dimensions: self-deceptive enhancement and impression management. However, the 2-factor model has yet to be supported via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the BIDR. Paulhus and Reid (1991) proposed a revised model of SDR, which bifurcated the self-deceptive enhancement dimension into 2 factors: self-deceptive enhancement (SDE; positively keyed items) and self-deceptive denial (SDD; negatively keyed items). Thus, it was considered useful to test the revised SDR model on the BIDR, as this might have implications for the manner in which the BIDR should be scored. Additionally, as the BIDR subscales might be positively correlated, it was considered useful from a both a theoretical and practical perspective to test the possibility that the BIDR might measure a general SDR process. Based on a sample of 466 adults, Paulhus and Reid's revised model of SDR was largely supported when tested via CFA on a bifactor model, which included a first-order general SDR factor and 2 nested factors. Thus, applied researchers might consider using total BIDR composite scores, a self-deceptive enhancement composite score (positively keyed items), and impression management composite scores. However, ideally, researchers would use a bifactor model to test substantive hypotheses, as the bifactor model partitions true score variance into unique sources, which facilitates less ambiguous interpretations of effects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Levels of cultural threat (nativism) are common in the American public. [•] Measures of nativism in surveys are affected by social desirability concerns. [•] The analysis uses both a list experiment and a social desirability scale. [•] The analysis reveals that nativism is over-reported in public opinion surveys. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study is to search for a validity scale for detecting social desirability bias in the MMPI- 2-RF. To that end, data from scales considered as underreporting on the MMMPI-2-RF, such as the Edwards and Wiggins Social Desirability (Esd and Wsd respectively) scales, the Other Deception (ODecp) scale of Nichols & Greene, the Superlative (S) scale of Butcher and Han, and Uncommon Virtues (L-r) and Adjustment Validity (K-r) scales, was analyzed comparatively. The sample was taken from the Spanish adaptation of the MMPI-2 database, with the corresponding item selection made from the restructured MMPI-2-RF. Two groups of participants were established: The honest group and the dissimulator group, participants of the latter being instructed to give socially desirable responses. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) methodology was used to suggest a scale that offers more diagnostic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test (henceforth, Eyes test) is a simple but advanced Theory of Mind test, and it is widely used across different cultures. This study assessed the reliability and construct (convergent and discriminant) validity of the Eyes test in Italy. Methods. A sample of 18- to 32-year-old undergraduate students of both sexes (N=200, males=46%) were invited to fill in the Italian version of the Eyes test, the Empathy Quotient (EQ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (SDS). Results. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was .605. Confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for a unidimensional model, with maximal weighted internal consistency reliability=.719. Test–retest reliability for the Eyes test, as measured by intraclass correlation coefficient, was .833 (95% confidence interval=.745 to .902). Females scored significantly higher than males on both the Eyes test and the EQ, replicating earlier work. Those participants who scored lower than 30 on the EQ (n=10) also scored lower on the Eyes test than those who did not (p<.05). Eyes test scores were not related to social desirability. Conclusions. This study confirms the validity of the Eyes test. Both internal consistency and test–retest stability were good for the Italian version of the Eyes test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the psychometric properties of the Dieting Intentions Scale (DIS), a new scale of dieting that predicts future behavioral efforts to lose weight. We begin by reviewing recent research indicating theoretical and empirical problems with traditional approaches to measuring dieting. The DIS addresses several of these problems by (a) focusing on naturalistic dieting behavior and (b) being future-oriented. Four validation studies are presented with a total of 741 participants. We demonstrate that the DIS has predictive utility for dieting behaviors and is positively correlated with other measures related to eating, weight, and shape. Furthermore, the DIS demonstrates discriminant validity by not being related to constructs such as self-esteem and social desirability. The DIS also has high internal consistency, with a 1-factor solution replicated with confirmatory factor analysis. The potential uses of the scale in both research and clinical settings are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal in this investigation was to evaluate the reliability of scores from the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) more comprehensively than in prior research using a generalizability-theory framework based on both dichotomous and polytomous scoring of items. Generalizability coefficients accounting for specific-factor, transient, and random-response error ranged from .64 to .75 for the BIDR's Self-Deception Enhancement (SDE) and Impression Management (IM) subscale scores, and these values were systematically lower than corresponding alpha (.66 to .83) and l-week test-retest (.78 to .86) coefficients. Polytomous scoring provided higher reliability than dichotomous scoring on nearly all indexes reported. Random-response (8%-17%) and specific factor error (11%-17%) exceeded transient error (3%-6%) for both subscales and scoring methods. Doubling the number of items on a single occasion provided greater improvements in generalizability (.76-.83) than aggregating scores across 2 administrations (.72-.81). Both scoring methods provided reasonably high indexes of consistency (qb coefficients ≥ .91) at cut scores on the IM scale for detecting faked responses when all sources of error were taken into account. Implications of these results for common uses of the BIDR are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Most bariatric surgery programs in the United States require preoperative psychological evaluations for candidates for surgery. Among those who perform these evaluations is concern that many patients engage in “impression management” or minimizing the symptoms of distress to receive a recommendation to proceed with surgery from the mental health professional. We sought to assess the prevalence of socially desirable responding and its associations with measures of psychological functioning among bariatric surgery candidates at 2 academic medical centers in the United States. Methods: The participants were male (n = 66) and female (n = 293) bariatric surgery candidates who presented for psychological evaluation. The participants completed 2 measures of socially desirable response styles (Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and Personality Assessment Inventory Positive Impression Management scale) and standardized measures of anxiety, depression, and alcohol-related problems. Results: The participants exhibited elevated scores on the social desirability indicators, with 33.3–39.8% scoring above the recommended cut-score on the Personality Assessment Inventory Positive Impression Management scale and 62.3–67% scoring 1 standard deviation above the standardization mean on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Scores on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and Personality Assessment Inventory Positive Impression Management scale correlated inversely with the clinical measures of anxiety and depression, and the high/low scorers on the social desirability indices exhibited significant differences in anxiety and depression. Thus, elevated scores on the social desirability indices were associated with underreporting of certain clinical symptoms. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of bariatric surgery candidates appear to present themselves in an overly favorable light during the psychological evaluation. This response style is associated with less reporting of psychological problems and might interfere with the accurate assessment of patient functioning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Drawing on social norms theories, we suggest that religiosity substantially increases subjective well-being if it is considered normative in a certain national context. In Study 1, we test this hypothesis using an indicator of a country’s social norm of religiosity that includes both the national level of religiosity and the social desirability of religion. The results of a multilevel regression analysis suggest that religious individuals are on average happier and more satisfied with life than non-religious individuals. This effect is stronger in religious countries with dominant negative attitudes towards non-believers. In Study 2, we further examine whether the differences in social recognition of religious and non-religious individuals in countries where religiosity is normative account for this finding. The results of a moderated mediation analysis indicate that in religious countries, religious people report being treated with more respect, which partially explains their higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stöber's Social Desirability Scale (SDS-17) was examined psychometrically in 5 samples (N = 2,817) from Austria, Canada, and the USA. Rasch and Mokken scaling analyses attested the SDS-17 is not strictly unidimensional. Age, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were notable positive correlates of SDS-17 scores. There were signs of non-normal score distributions, acquiescence bias, and sex and country differences (higher scores among Austrians than North Americans). Items with higher ratings of social desirability according to previous research were particularly prone to show sex effects. The SDS-17 appears suitable in crosscultural settings, but may benefit from substituting its true-false response format with a rating-scale format. A formative-indicators view regarding the social desirability construct and the SDS-17 is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past four decades, research has consistently documented negative correlations between the Crowne-Marlowe (CM) social desirability trait scale and numerous measures of sensitive behaviors, conditions, and opinions. These findings have been interpreted as evidence that persons with self-presentation concerns tend to under-report negative information. In contrast to this classic social desirability interpretation, a second perspective, labeled the true-behavior hypothesis, maintains that these correlations in fact reflect accurate reporting of both sets of variables, suggesting that the CM scale is not a sensitive indicator of the social desirability trait. We test these alternative interpretations by examining data from a community survey that collected both self-reports of cocaine use and the biological specimens necessary to validate the self-reports. In bivariate analyses, the CM scale was found to be associated with the concordance of cocaine use reporting and biological assays in a manner consistent with the classic social desirability hypothesis. The CM scale was not found to be associated with actual cocaine use, as measured by drug test assays, a finding inconsistent with the true-behavior hypothesis. After adjusting for other known correlates of substance use in logistic regression models, the CM scale was not associated with cocaine use under-reporting, nor with actual cocaine use behavior. Until further evidence is available, we conclude that the CM may be a questionable indicator of socially desirable reporting behavior in social surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past studies have shown that market orientation improves performance in nonprofit organizations. As a result, nonprofit practitioners' and researchers' interest in the theory of market orientation has been growing over the years. However, much less attention has been paid to developing a proprietary scale of market orientation in the nonprofit context. Previous studies have relied on the MARKOR scale with minor changes in its wordings to suit the nonprofit context. Synthesizing B. Shapiro's (1973. Marketing for nonprofit organizations. Harvard Business Review, 51(5), 223–232) dual target-customer perspective with J. Narver and S. Slater's (1990. The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(2), 20–35) view of market orientation, P. Modi and D. Mishra (2010. Conceptualising market orientation in non-profit organisations: Definition, performance, and preliminary construction of a scale. Journal of Marketing Management, 26, 548–569) offered a conceptualization of market orientation in nonprofit organizations (MONPO), and constructed a preliminary scale to measure it. This paper refines the preliminary MONPO scale and constructs a parsimonious, valid, and psychometrically versatile confirmatory scale using data from 579 nonprofit organizations engaged in delivering community services. Social desirability and method biases do not seem to adversely affect the finalized MONPO scale. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Personal meaning is thought to serve as an important resource among individuals adapting to the demands of illness. However, some work in this area has been marked by vague conceptualization, or use of assessment instruments that are confounded by well-being. This investigation evaluated relationships between psychosocial and physical outcomes and one theoretically important dimension of attained global meaning – perceptions of life purpose and commitment. Study 1 evaluated 175 patients followed in a primary care gynaecological practice. Study 2 assessed 104 cancer patients in a specialized stem cell transplantation centre. In both samples, personal meaning was concurrently associated with reduced emotional distress, enhanced coping efficacy, and closer intimate relationships, after controlling for social desirability bias and relevant demographic and medical covariates. Associations with lower distress and improved coping efficacy remained significant after additionally controlling for other psychosocial resource variables (i.e. social support, religiousness, emotional control). Personal meaning appears to be independently related to concurrent psychosocial adjustment in a range of medical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of the present study was to provide validity evidence for the scores from the Romantic Relationship Perfectionism Scale. Results indicate a two-factor structure, adequate reliability, and overall good convergent, concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity evidence. The strengths and limitations of this measure are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using a sample of 555 undergraduate students, the present study examined the factorial dimensionality of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). In particular, using confirmatory factor analysis, the study explored the goodness of fit of both one and two factor models, the latter of which were based upon the work of . Findings indicate that while both one and two factor models demonstrate many features of adequate fit, the two factor model emerged as superior. The study concludes with a discussion of the meaning of the results and suggestions for future research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the present study we surveyed 131 adults seeking psychotherapy and pastoral care in an intensive outpatient psychotherapy program for full-time religious workers. We sought to determine whether dissociation and alexithymia are associated with spiritual well-being. We utilized the Dissociative Experiences Scale–II (DES-II), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) as well as the subscales of these instruments in a series of linear multiple regression analyses. DES-II total scores were inversely related to SWB total scores. No association was found between alexithymia and SWB, nor did alexithymia moderate the relationship between dissociation and SWB. Subscale analyses revealed that lower SWB and Existential Well-Being (EWB) were associated with greater nonpathological dissociation (DES-NP), which was unrelated to Religious Well-Being (RWB). By contrast, lower RWB was predicted by higher pathological dissociation (DES-T), which displayed no relationship to SWB or EWB. We conclude with a discussion of some implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS) (1960) is the scale most commonly used for this purpose in research (Beretvas, Meyers & Leite, 2005). The scale measures "social desirability (SD) in terms of the need for subjects to respond in culturally sanctioned ways" and "the need for social approval" (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). Literature is inconclusive towards the use of this scale. This study aimed to explore how the scale behaved when administered to a sample of clinical psychology graduate students and licensed clinical psychologists. Questionnaires were administered by availability to 220 clinical psychology graduate students and 47 licensed clinical psychologists. Twenty four percent (n=50) of the total sample presented low SD, 61% (n=151) mild SD, and 15% (n=48) high SD. Student t tests and ANOVAS where performed to determine which factors where associated with SD. The results of this study suggest that in future research the results from this scale should be interpreted in a cautelous manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress is known to amplify the link between pubertal timing and psychopathology. However, few studies have examined the role of peer stress as a context for this link. The present study examined the interaction between perceived pubertal timing and peer stress on symptoms of psychopathology in early adolescence. The sample consisted of 264 students (63% female; M = 12.40, SD = 1.00; 55% Caucasian, 23% African American, 7% Latino, 11% biracial and 4% other). Higher peer stress was associated with symptoms of anxiety/depression; this effect did not vary by timing or gender. However, early-maturing girls with high peer stress demonstrated higher rates of relational and overt aggression compared to other girls. Findings also suggested that late-maturing boys with high stress are at risk for aggression problems; however, due to the small number of boys, analyses were exploratory. Overall, results suggest that developmentally salient contexts as indicated by stressful peer experiences may pose unique threats to early maturing girls and possibly late-maturing boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]