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Personality retesting for managing intentional distortion
Jill E Ellingson1, Eric D Heggestad2, Erin E Makarius3
1Department of Management and Human Resources.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|February 23, 2012
Summary
Retesting flagged individuals on personality questionnaires can improve response accuracy. This strategy is effective when individuals respond more honestly upon retesting, potentially due to emotional reactions.
Area of Science:
- Psychological assessment
- Personality psychology
- Measurement in psychology
Background:
- Self-report personality questionnaires often include validity scales to detect response distortion.
- Administrators lack clear guidelines for using validity scale scores in high-stakes decisions.
- Intentional distortion aims for a more favorable self-presentation on personality measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the viability of administrator-initiated retesting for managing intentional distortion on personality questionnaires.
- To determine if retest responses provide more accurate personality assessments compared to initial responses.
- To explore the emotional impact of retesting as a factor influencing response accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of retesting.
- Initial personality questionnaire scores were compared to scores obtained after retesting.
- The emotional reactions of individuals to being asked to retest were examined.
Main Results:
- Retest scores were found to be more accurate representations of personality characteristics compared to baseline measures.
- The effectiveness of retesting hinges on individuals choosing to respond more accurately during the second attempt.
- Emotional responses to retesting were explored as a potential driver for improved accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Administrator-initiated retesting appears to be a viable strategy for addressing intentional response distortion in personality assessments.
- The success of retesting is contingent upon respondents' willingness to provide more truthful answers upon a second attempt.
- Understanding the emotional and psychological impact of retesting is crucial for its effective implementation.
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