Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2025

A Cross-Disciplinary and Multi-Modal Experimental Design for Studying Near-Real-Time Authentic Examination Experiences
Published on: September 4, 2019
Machiavellian Medical Students Report More Academic Misconduct: A Cocktail Fuelled by Psychological and Contextual
Ana Cristina Veríssimo1, George A M Conrado1,2, Joselina Barbosa1
1Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Purpose:
Maladaptive personality traits and some psychological functioning indicators have been linked to academic misbehaviour; yet their role is still poorly explored in medical students. This study aims to assess associations of academic misconduct with dark personality traits and psychological well-being.
Methods:
Five hundred and ninety-one medical students attending the first, third and fifth-year at one Portuguese medical school replied to the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen, Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales and an original Academic Misconduct Questionnaire, using a cross-sectional design. Multiple linear regression was performed to assess associations.
Results:
Fifth-year medical students who scored higher in Machiavellianism and psychological well-being and perceived greater peer fraud and lower penalty for cheating reported more academic misconduct. The explanatory power of the model was 16.6%. Machiavellianism showed the strongest associations with cheating, while sex and age were not significant predictors.
Conclusion:
This study offers relevant insights into how maladaptive personalities influence academic misconduct in medical students, and how this relationship is moulded by psychological and contextual factors. These findings can help guide institutional actions to foster academic integrity in future physicians.
More Related Videos
07:32Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity
Published on: February 10, 2016
06:05Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
Published on: April 20, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Obedience
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Deindividuation
Fundamental Attribution Error