Detecting Socially Desirable Responses In Personality Inventory
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Date
2011-07
Authors
Govindasamy, Priyalatha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
This study attempted to detect the socially desirable responses within differential responses. Besides, this study also examined items and personality dimensions that are vulnerable to social desirability. In the experimental design, a sample of 521 students was tested twice with the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) under honest and socially desirable instructions. Responses from the first administration were classified as honest group responses and those from the second administration were grouped as socially desirable responses. The mean dispersion and fit analysis were applied in detecting socially desirable responses. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was used in identifying items that are prone to social desirability followed by Differential Test Functioning (DTF) which examines the DIF effects to the test and to each personality dimension assessed. Differential Step Functioning (DSF) was applied to determine the contributing steps in polytomous responses to DIF. Factor analysis and item information function curves were used to examine the personality dimensions that are susceptible to social desirability. The socially desirable group reported a distinctively higher score distribution at two standard deviations above the mean. Correspondingly, the socially desirable group has a higher percentage of non-fitting responses with values more than 2.0 logits. Differences of factor structures of IPIP dimensions were found between the honest and socially desirable response groups. Test information function for the Openness dimension illustrated a differential information function between the honest and socially desirable groups. Six items were flagged for Differential Item Functioning
(DIF) and three of the items represented the Openness dimension. In addition, the presence of DIF caused changes in the test and in the Openness dimension for the socially desirable groups. The DSF analysis reported response categories function differently according to the items.
Description
Keywords
To detect the socially desirable responses , within differential responses