scholarly journals The social desirability effect in personality assessment of drink driving offenders

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
I S Ferreira ◽  
A Maurício ◽  
P Ferrajão

Abstract Background Driving under the influence of alcohol represents one of the main driving crimes and a risk to road safety and public health. In Portugal, if there are well-founded doubts about the psychological fitness to drive, the competent authority may determine a psychological assessment. The present study analyses the results in the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire - Revised (EPQ-R) in a sample with driving crimes under the influence of alcohol. Methods A sample of 76 male drivers (mean age around 43 years; age range = 26–60) underwent to a psychological assessment in the Mobility and Transports Institute, due to an official record of driving with a blood alcohol level of 1.2 g/l or more. The assessment included the EPQ-R, which examines three dimensions of personality - Psychoticism (P), Extroversion (E) and Neuroticism (N) and a Lie/Social Desirability scale (L). Results Drivers have committed around 3 crimes (range: 1–7) for drink driving in the past 10 years. Mean N (P < 0.001) and P (P < 0.001) scores were significantly lower, and mean L score (P < 0.001) was significantly higher compared to the Portuguese normative data of EPQ-R (783 men, ages between 16 and 60 years). Mean E score (P = 0.16) was not statistically different from the normative E score. Conclusions The social desirability (proneness for lying or faking good) had a significant influence on EPQ-R results, favouring dimensions that assess psychopathological functioning (N, P). Although this questionnaire is an objective method to assess personality in different normative contexts, its suitability has proved to be limited in drink driving offenders.

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Stöber

Summary: Four studies are presented investigating the convergent validity, discriminant validity, and relationship with age of the Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17). As to convergent validity, SDS-17 scores showed correlations between .52 and .85 with other measures of social desirability (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Lie Scale, Sets of Four Scale, Marlowe-Crowne Scale). Moreover, scores were highly sensitive to social-desirability-provoking instructions (job-application instruction). Finally, with respect to the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding, SDS-17 scores showed a unique correlation with impression management, but not with self-deception. As to discriminant validity, SDS-17 scores showed nonsignificant correlations with neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism, and openness to experience, whereas there was some overlap with agreeableness and conscientiousness. With respect to relationship with age, the SDS-17 was administered in a sample stratified for age, with age ranging from 18 to 89 years. In all but the oldest age group, the SDS-17 showed substantial correlations with the Marlowe-Crowne Scale. The influence of age (cohort) on mean scores, however, was significantly smaller for the SDS-17 than for the Marlowe-Crowne Scale. In sum, results indicate that the SDS-17 is a reliable and valid measure of social desirability, suitable for adults of 18 to 80 years of age.


1974 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 887-892
Author(s):  
James A. Oakland

An interpretation of the social desirability response set as measuring, in part, the adequacy of socialization was supported in that the social desirability ratings of the 26 Ss with low scores on the Edwards Social Desirability Scale tended to be more varied than those of 26 Ss with high scores. It was suggested that this factor may be significant in the interpretation of individual personality test scores, that cross-fertilization between clinical theories and personality assessment research may be indispensible in this area, and that previous arguments for using ratings of social desirability as a means of personality assessment should be taken more seriously.


1977 ◽  
Vol 40 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1155-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary G. Brannigan

This paper reviewed research on the social desirability response tendency. The implications drawn from the studies reviewed were (1) the desire to appear socially acceptable is not merely a test-taking phenomenon but reflects a more pervasive determinant of individual behavior, and (2) there are three dimensions of approval motivation, sensitivity, conformity, and defensiveness.


Author(s):  
Robert Lee Borges de Paula Vidigal

ResumoA opinião pública sobre as ações afirmativas não é consensual, especialmente entre os brancos. Em um desenho experimental de pesquisa, as cotas raciais são estudadas na Universidade de Brasília (UnB) e na Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). A técnica utilizada é conhecida como experimento de lista, a qual consiste essencialmente de um experimento embutido em um survey convencional. O delineamento experimental garante a privacidade necessária para os respondentes se sentirem livres para darem respostas honestas, evitando o efeito chamado de desejabilidade social. Os resultados mostram que a teoria do autointeresse não tem efeitos sobre as atitudes raciais, e o efeito de desejabilidade social é muito forte entre os estudantes brancos. Palavras-chave: Experimentos; Experimento de lista; Opinião Pública; Metodologia de Pesquisa. ResumenLa opinión pública sobre las acciones afirmativas no es consensual, especialmente entre los blancos. Aquí, en un diseño experimental, las cuotas raciales son estudiadas en la Universidad de Brasilia (UnB) y en la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). La técnica empleada es conocida como experimento de lista que es esencialmente un experimento dentro de un estudio convencional. El diseño experimental garantiza la privacidad de los encuestados que se sienten libres para dar respuestas honestas, evitando el efecto de deseabilidad social. Los resultados muestran que la teoría de la auto-interés no tiene efectos sobre las actitudes raciales, y el efecto de deseabilidad social es muy fuerte entre los estudiantes blancos. Palabras clave: Experimentos; Experimento de lista; Opinión Pública; Metodología de la Investigación. AbstractPublic opinion on affirmative actions is not consensual, especially among whites. Here in an experimental design the racial quotas are studied at the University of Brasilia (UnB) and University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The technique employed is known as the list-experiment, which consists essentially of an experiment embedded in a conventional survey. The experimental design ensures privacy for respondents to feel free to give honest answers, avoiding the social desirability effect. The results show that the self-interest theory has no effects on the racial attitudes, and the social desirability effect is very strong among the white students.Keywords: Experiments; List-experiment; Public Opinion; Research Methodology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Bijay Narain Sinha ◽  
Arif Hassan

The paper reports the findings of a study conducted to find differences in self-perception with perception of others in order to identify a culturally sensitive method to explore social reality. The instruments measured how respondents rate themselves or others on several negative and positive descriptions of thoughts and behaviours. A sample of 100 respondents from diverse background in India rated predominantly positive and negative description of beliefs, values and preferences twice -- first for the people residing around them and then for themselves. They also rated themselves on a scale of social desirability. The findings confirmed that they attributed negative cognitions (beliefs, values and preferences) to the others more than themselves but attributed predominantly positive beliefs, values and preferences to themselves. The social desirability orientation was significantly related to respondents’ self but not to others’ perception. The findings thus suggested the use of informants rather than respondents in social research especially on sensitive issues such as ethical and moral behaviour.Keywords: Social Research; Social Desirability Effect; Response Bias; Informants Method.


2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonino Messina ◽  
Anna Maria Fogliani ◽  
Sergio Paradiso

An inverse correlation between social desirability and alexithymia has been observed in undergraduate students in Japan and Australia. It is not clear how this association is influenced by the personality dimension of neuroticism. This study examined the association of scores on social desirability with those on alexithymia controlled for neuroticism, in a sample of 111 Italian graduate students, with age range of 24 to 58 years. Students completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (short form) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20 (TAS–20). Social desirability scores inversely correlated with TAS–20 total scores, neuroticism scores, and the TAS–20 subscale, Difficulty identifying feelings. Neuroticism directly correlated with TAS–20 total score, Difficulty identifying feelings, and Difficulty describing feelings. Students with higher alexithymia and neuroticism scores seem to present themselves in less socially desirable ways. The correlation of social desirability with alexithymia was moderated by higher neuroticism scores.


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