Instructed faking and MMPI-2 response latencies: the potential for assessing response validity

Differences in Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) response latencies between groups instructed to respond honestly or fake were explored. There were 120 undergraduate students who completed a computer administered MMPI-2 with instructions to either respond honestly, to underreport psychopathology, or to overreport psychopathology. Results showed that subjects required significantly more time to respond in a manner that was inconsistent with their response set when pattern of endorsement (acceptance vs. rejection) was considered and less time when pattern of endorsement was not considered. The differential response of subjects across groups suggests that response latencies are related to response styles and that future research may indicate a methodology for utilizing response latencies in assessing response validity.