Impact of electronic warnings on online personality scores and test-taker reactions in an applicant simulation

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of different types of electronic warnings during a simulated job application assessment. Results indicated that negatively worded warnings and accusations worked better than positively worded warnings at blunting faking. Although there was some evidence that test-takers engaging in higher levels of faking heeded warnings more, warnings tended to decrease scores for all test-takers. While positive warnings motivated test-takers to perform well, negative warnings and accusations increased test-taking anxiety. Whereas past research has failed to find a relationship between warnings and perceived fairness, current results suggest that this relationship depends on the level of test-taker distortion.