Varying Relationships between Adaption-Innovation and Social Desirability

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory (KAI) and two measures of social desirability. The social desirability measures were chosen because the first, the Defensiveness Scale ( K scale) on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), measures the conscious presentation of oneself in socially desirable terms while the second measure, the Edwards Social Desirability Scale, examines the unconscious presentation of oneself as being socially desirable. 104 undergraduates enrolled in general psychology classes at a middle-sized midwestern university participated. A significant positive correlation between scores on the Kirton and Edwards inventories and a nonsignificant positive correlation with the K scale were obtained. The former indicates that innovators unconsciously present themselves as being more socially desirable than adaptors while adaptors and innovators consciously present themselves as being socially desirable almost equally. These findings for the Edwards Social Desirability Scale are inconsistent with the past research on the relationship between Kirton's inventory and social desirability.