THE ANTECEDENTS OF SOCIAL DESIRABILITY RESPONSE TENDENCIES OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

ALLAMAN, JACQUELINE D.; JOYCE, CAROL S.; and CRANDALL, VIRGINIA C. The Antecedents of Social Desirability Response Tendencies of Children and Young Adults. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 1135-1160. 2 subject samples from the Fels longitudinal study were used to examine the development of social desirability (SD) response tendencies. In Study I, the Children's Social Desirability scale was administered to children between the ages of 6 to 12 (N = 95); in Study II the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was given to young adults (N = 65). The results of both studies indicated that harsh parental practices predict subsequent social desirability responding. In Study I, maternal hostility, criticism, restrictiveness, punitiveness, coerciveness, and lack of encouragement of skill development predicted childhood SD among boys. Maternal hostility and criticism were most influential when they occurred during infancy; the remaining antecedents had a stronger effect when they occurred during the preschool years. In Study II, the same maternal behaviors were predictive of SD in young women (with the exception of skill acceleration); perceptions of similar paternal behavior predicted SD in young men. Significant subject antecedents or correlates included imitation, conformity to parents, negative self-perceptions, traditional sex-role values, and poorer intellectual functioning. Noncompliance and dominance (in infancy) were unexpectedly related to adult social desirability, but a decrease in maternal involvement over the childhood years appeared to provide an explanation of these findings.