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Lying as a factor in research on sexuality

L J Nicholas1, K Durrheim, C G Tredoux

  • 1Centre for Student Counselling, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.

Psychological Reports
|October 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

This study found that black South African students were less truthful when answering questions about sexuality compared to other topics. This suggests potential bias in sexuality research data collection.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Research on sexuality among diverse populations requires understanding potential biases in self-reported data.
  • Previous studies have not fully explored truthfulness in sensitive research areas within specific demographic groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of lying in research concerning sexuality among black South African first-year university students.
  • To compare truthfulness across different survey topics, including sexuality, biographical/career information, and political violence.

Main Methods:

  • A quantitative study involving 1902 black South African first-year students.
  • Administration of structured questionnaires with attitude scales covering biographical/career, sexuality, and political violence.
  • Analysis of self-reported comfort and truthfulness across the different questionnaire sections.

Main Results:

  • Students reported higher levels of comfort and truthfulness when completing biographical/career and sociopolitical violence scales.
  • A lower degree of comfort and truthfulness was observed when responding to questions related to sexuality.
  • This indicates a potential for response bias in sexuality research within this population.

Conclusions:

  • Lying or discomfort may be a significant factor affecting the validity of sexuality research data among black South African students.
  • Researchers should consider employing strategies to enhance comfort and ensure truthful responses when studying sensitive topics like sexuality in similar populations.
  • Further research is needed to explore the underlying reasons for differential truthfulness across survey topics.

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