Social desirability bias Wikipedia.In social science research, social desirability bias is a type of response bias that is the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.It can take the form of over reporting good behavior or under reporting bad, or undesirable behavior.The tendency poses a serious problem with conducting research with self reports, especially questionnaires.This bias interferes with the interpretation of average tendencies as well as individual differences.Topics where socially desirable responding SDR is of special concern are self reports of abilities, personality, sexual behavior, and drug use.When confronted with the question How often do you masturbate, for example, respondents may be pressured by the societal taboo against masturbation, and either under report the frequency or avoid answering the question.Mmpi Scoring Software' title='2 Mmpi Scoring Software' />Short Forms.An abbreviated version of the MMPI2 can be administered, consisting of the first 370 items, to obtain scores for.Therefore, the mean rates of masturbation derived from self report surveys are likely to be severe underestimates.When confronted with the question, Do you use drugsillicit substances the respondent may be influenced by the fact that controlled substances, including the more commonly used marijuana, are generally illegal.Respondents may feel pressured to deny any drug use or rationalize it, e.I only smoke marijuana when my friends are around.The bias can also influence reports of number of sexual partners.In fact, the bias may operate in opposite directions for different subgroups Whereas men tend to inflate the numbers, women tend to underestimate theirs.In either case, the mean reports from both groups are likely to be distorted by social desirability bias.Other topics that are sensitive to social desirability bias Personal income and earnings, often inflated when low and deflated when high.Feelings of low self worth andor powerlessness, often denied.Excretory functions, often approached uncomfortably, if discussed at all.Compliance with medicinal dosing schedules, often inflated.Religion, often either avoided or uncomfortably approached.Patriotism, either inflated or, if denied, done so with a fear of other partys judgment.Bigotry and intolerance, often denied, even if it exists within the responder.Intellectual achievements, often inflated.Physical appearance, either inflated or deflated.Acts of real or imagined physical violence, often denied.Indicators of charity or benevolence, often inflated.Illegal acts, often denied.Individual differenceseditThe fact that people differ in their tendency to engage in socially desirable responding SDR is a special concern to those measuring individual differences with self reports.Individual differences in SDR make it difficult to distinguish those people with good traits who are responding factually from those distorting their answers in a positive direction.When SDR cannot be eliminated, researchers may resort to evaluating the tendency and then control for it.A separate SDR measure must be administered together with the primary measure test or interview aimed at the subject matter of the researchinvestigation.The key assumption is that respondents who answer in a socially desirable manner on that scale are also responding desirably to all self reports throughout the study.In some cases the entire questionnaire package from high scoring respondents may simply be discarded.Alternatively, respondents answers on the primary questionnaires may be statistically adjusted commensurate with their SDR tendencies.For example, this adjustment is performed automatically in the standard scoring of MMPI scales.The major concern with SDR scales is that they confound style with content.After all, people actually differ in the degree to which they possess desirable traits e.Consequently, measures of social desirability confound true differences with social desirability bias.Standard measureseditUntil the 1.MarloweCrowne Social Desirability Scale.The original version comprised 3.True False items.A shortened version, the StrahanGerbasi only comprises ten items, but some have raised questions regarding the reliability of this measure.In 1. Delroy L. Paulhus published the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding BIDR a questionnaire designed to measure two forms of SDR.This forty item instrument provides separate subscales for impression management, the tendency to give inflated self descriptions to an audience and self deceptive enhancement, the tendency to give honest but inflated self descriptions. How To Make A Silent Installation Msi . The commercial version of the BIDR called Paulhus Deception Scales PDS.Non English measureseditScales designed to tap response styles are available in all major languages, including Italian5 and German.Another measure has been used in surveys or opinion polls carried out by interviewing people face to face or through the telephone.Other response styleseditExtreme response style ERS takes the form of exaggerated extremity preference, e.Its converse, moderacy bias entails a preference for middle range or midpoint responses e.Acquiescence is the tendency to prefer the higher ratings over lower ratings, whatever the content of the question.These kinds of response styles differ from social desirability bias in that they are unrelated to the questions content and may be present in both socially neutral and in socially favorable or unfavorable contexts, whereas SDR is, by definition, tied to the latter.Anonymity and confidentialityeditWhen the subjects details are not required, as in sample investigations and screenings, anonymous administration is preferably used as the person does not feel directly and personally involved in the answers he or she is going to give.Anonymous self administration provides neutrality, detachment and reassurance.An even better result is obtained by returning the questionnaires by mail or ballot boxes so as to further guarantee anonymity and the impossibility to identify the subjects who filled in the questionnaires.A further method to assess the prevalence of socially sensitive issues is the so called randomized response technique.Therein, for example, respondents secretly throw a coin and respond yes if it comes up heads, and are instructed to respond truthfully e.This enables the researcher to estimate the actual prevalence of the given behavior without needing to know the true state of an individual respondent.Neutralized administrationeditSDR tends to be reduced by wording questions in a neutral fashion.Another is to use forced choice questions where the two options have been equated for their desirability.One approach is to administer tests through a computer self administration software.A computer, even compared to the most competent interviewer, provides a higher sense of neutrality as it does not appear judgmental.Behavioral measurementeditThe most recent approachthe over claiming techniqueassesses the tendency to claim knowledge about non existent items.More complex methods to promote honest answers include the randomized response and unmatched count techniques, as well as the bogus pipeline technique.See alsoeditReferenceseditCrowne, D.P., Marlowe, D. A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 2.Thompson, E. R. Phua, F.T. T. 2. 00. 5. Reliability among senior managers of the Marlowe Crowne short form social desirability scale, Journal of Business and Psychology, 1.Paulhus, D. L. 1.Measurement and control of response biases.In J. P. Robinson et al.Eds., Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes.San Diego Academic PressPaulhus D.L., 1. 99. 8 Paulhus Deception Scales PDS is published by Multi Health Systems of Toronto.Roccato M., 2. Desiderabilit Sociale e Acquiescenza.Alcune Trappole delle Inchieste e dei Sondaggi.LED Edizioni Universitarie, Torino.ISBN 8. 8 7. 91. Stoeber, J.The social desirability scale 1.SD 1. 7. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 1.Corbetta P., 2. 00.La ricerca sociale metodologia e tecniche.Vol. I IV. Il Mulino, Bologna.Mc. Burney D. H., 1.Research Methods.BrooksCole, Pacific Grove, California.
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