Substance and bias in social desirability responding

In this study, self-reports from N=67 participants were compared to the external criterion of three observer ratings on the Big Five personality traits. In addition, Self-Deceptive Enhancement (SDE) and Impression Management (IM) were assessed with a shortened version of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR-6; Paulhus, 1991) in German language. Hypotheses were derived from the model of Paulhus and John (1998), who argued for the existence of two self-favouring tendencies: egoistic and moralistic bias. Firstly, we calculated self-report inflation or bias scores by regressing self-reports on observer ratings. Residual scores of this analysis were correlated with SDE and IM. In accordance with our expectations, SDE was positively correlated with bias scores of emotional stability, extraversion, and openness, whereas IM was positively related to bias scores of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Secondly, self-observer agreement was unaffected or even decreased when self-reports were corrected for SDE and IM. Results were discussed with regard to their implications for further research in socially desirable responding.

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