Racial differences in socially desirable responding in selection contexts: magnitude and consequences

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Social desirability responding (SDR) can influence personality assessments.
• Racial disparities in SDR may affect test outcomes and interpretations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate racial differences in social desirability (SD) scale scores.
• To examine the consequences of these differences on personality test validity and applicant selection.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with job applicants (N=1,063) and incumbents (N=534).
• Participants completed personality measures and an SD scale.

Main Results:

• Whites consistently scored lower on SD scales than Black, Hispanic, and Asian participants.
• Observed racial differences in SDR did not extend to personality measures.
• Applying SD corrections did not alter personality test validity across racial groups.

Conclusions:

• Racial differences in SDR can lead to unintended negative consequences in personnel selection and test score adjustments.
• Researchers and practitioners must critically evaluate the use of SD scales due to potential disparate impacts.
• Further examination of the construct validity of SD measures across diverse populations is warranted.