Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents
Published on: August 10, 2014
Do response time limitations counteract the effect of faking on personality inventory validity?
R R Holden1, L L Wood, L Tomashewski
1Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. holdenr@psyc.queensu.ca
Abstract:
Different models of lying on personality scales make discrepant predictions on the association between faking and item response time. The current research investigated response time restriction as a method for reducing the influence of faking on personality scale validity. In 3 assessment simulations involving 540 university undergraduates responding to 2 common, psychometrically strong personality inventories, no evidence emerged to indicate that limiting respondents' answering time can attenuate the effects of faking on validity. Results were interpreted as failing to support a simple model of personality test item response dissimulation that predicts that lying takes time. Findings were consistent with models implying that lying involves primitive cognitive processing or that lying may be associated with complex processing that includes both primitive responding and cognitive overrides.
Related Concept Videos
Deindividuation
Cattell's 16 Personality Factors
In contrast, source traits are the fundamental,...
Self-Report Tests of Personality
Understanding Deception
Dark Triad and Person Perception
Implicit Personality Theories

