Social Desirability Effects Research Articles

Youth use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Wave 6: Impact of survey mode

BackgroundThe Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) provides annual prevalence data on youth use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). However, trends may be complicated by COVID-related changes in survey mode (self-completed vs. telephone interview) across 2019–2021. MethodsTrends in past 30-day (P30D) ENDS use over PATH waves 5 (2019; 100 % self-completed), 5.5 (2020; 100 % telephone interview), and 6 (2021; 33.5 % self-completed, 66.5 % telephone interview) were examined among continuing youth, overall and within survey mode. Further analyses examined the nature of these changes by examining 1) potential response biases in social contexts of nicotine use, and 2) sources of ENDS over time. ResultsTelephone interviewees were less likely to report ENDS use (4.6 % vs. 8.6 % for self-completers), and more likely to report social disapproval of nicotine use, suggesting a reporting bias in telephone interviews. Survey-mode-naïve analyses suggested a large decline in P30D ENDS use prevalence between 2019–20 (10.2–4.6 %) followed by an apparent uptick in 2021 (5.9 %); however, comparing like-to-like survey modes showed a more modest decline (10.2 % in 2019; 8.6 % in 2021; self-completed) with no change between 2020 and 2021 (4.6 % in both; telephone interviews). Analyses suggested that the mode effects were partly, but not wholly, related to social desirability effects. DiscussionChanges in PATH survey mode introduced artifacts into ENDS use prevalence, possibly due in part to social desirability bias suppressing reporting in telephone interviews, rather than a true uptick. It is essential to account for survey mode in PATH surveys.

Dispositional awe negatively predicts corruption via the sense of connectedness.

Corruption is a political and economic issue that has a detrimental impact on social and economic development. This study investigated the predictive effect of dispositional awe on corruption, and the underlying mechanisms from the perspective of connectedness. A sample of 548 (Nfemale = 371) individuals, aged between 16 and 71 years old (M = 21.18, SD = 3.39), was collected. Participants completed scales to measure dispositional awe, the sense of connectedness, corruption, and social desirability. Structural equation modelling and a bootstrap procedure were used to analyze the relationship between the variables. Results showed that dispositional awe negatively predicted corruption, including the tendencies for giving and accepting bribes, and this could be explained by the sense of connectedness, after controlling for the effect of social desirability. The findings highlight the significance of dispositional awe in relation to corruption, enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms connecting the two variables, and provide practical implications for the prevention of corruption.

Impact of social desirability bias on the CoPsoQ-ISTAS 21 psychosocial risk assessment questionnaire.

Self-reported test is one of the main psychosocial risk assessment tools. However, this test it is susceptible to certain sources of error, including social desirability. Since psychosocial risks are emerging, there are not many studies on their assessment. The aim of this work is to analyze the impact of social desirability on the short version of the CopSoq-ISTAS 21 assessment tool. A total of 563 workers (45.10% women and 54.90% men) participated in this study. The short version of the CoPsoQ-Istas21 questionnaire with four Likert scale questions as markers, which correspond to the Eysenck Personality Lie Scale Questionnaire Revised (EPQ-r), were used. The sample was divided into two halves, and both a confirmatory analysis and an exploratory analysis were carried out to find out the factorial structure of the scale and, with it, apply the bias filtering method. The results indicate that 10% of the scale is biased due to social desirability, and that there are significant differences between the group with bias clean scores and the group with scores without bias control. The effects of social desirability on the scale are verified, so it is concluded that in a psychosocial risk assessment is not enough to apply a self-report test and interpret its results, being necessary to minimize the sources of error.

A study of the relationship between social desirability and competitive anxiety among soccer players

This study investigated temperament, social desirability, and anxiety in professional and amateur male soccer players. The goal of this study was to compare social desirability among professional and amateur soccer players and its association with temperament and competitive anxiety. Participants (n = 78) were equally divided into professional and amateur players. The EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire) was used to assess the participants' temperament and social desirability. Additionally, the SCAT (Sport Competition Anxiety Test) was completed by the participants to reveal their anxiety levels. The temperament types were compared using Yates's correction for continuity, while a linear regression model was used to determine if social desirability could predict anxiety levels among the players. The study found that both groups had dominant sanguine and choleric temperaments, which corresponded to extraversion. The ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in competitive anxieties between the two groups (p<0.03). The results of the regression analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship with a negative slope between social desirability and competitive anxiety in professional players (p<0.021) and amateur players (p<0.015). The data illustrate that the professional and amateur levels of soccer players are not dependent on the predictive effect of social desirability on competitive anxiety; however, it was only associated with constant sports activities. Thus, it was revealed that as the level of social desirability among soccer players increases, the level of their competitive anxiety decreases.

The Reliability of Self-Reported GPA in Educational Research: A Comparison of Self-Reported and Officially Recorded Data

Researchers use often self-reported grades as indicators of students’ educational achievement because of difficulties in obtaining the official records. However, the results of such studies are questionable due to doubts regarding the reliability of self-reported grade data and factors that may lead to distortion. In this study, we help to resolve this issue by comparing self-reported grade point averages (GPAs) of 926 eighth grade Romanian students from the previous academic year with their official GPAs. At the descriptive and practical levels, we conclude that the distortions are positive—overreporting is more frequent than underreporting—and that their limited magnitude allows for the use of self-reported grades for the usually description i.e. of achievements in a population of students but not for individual students’ diagnostics. At the explanatory level, the distortions are non-random, and there are two main causal mechanisms. First, overreporting is a cognitive and commitment-based error. Second, overreporting is an effect of social desirability, according to which students are expected to perform well based on their social characteristics. However, this second causal channel is not visible in bivariate tests because it is statistically suppressed by the main mechanism and the correlation of actual GPA with gender and socioeconomic status (SES – parents’ education and class) variables.

Experience of Using Bifactor Models to Reduce the Effects of Social Desirability on the Normative Questionnaire of Universal Competencies

One of the significant lack of questionnaires is a scores distortion for the measured constructs, associated with the social desirability effects. An even greater threat to the validity of decisions is social desirability in high-stakes evaluation, such as selection for a position. Moreover the issue of the relationship between different components of social desirability and the most frequently measured personal constructs remains debatable. In the material of the author's normative questionnaire of universal competencies, an approach is considered for making adjustments to the final scores for measured constructs using the developed scales of egoistic and moralistic social desirability. Also discussed the prospect of using statement formulations that are neutral to social desirability or express the most positive degree of measured indicators.
 The empirical basis of this study is data gathered within a pilot conducted in the spring of 2022, during which data were obtained from 579 respondents in 49 measurable competencies. The analysis was aimed at assessing the quality of the developed scales of social desirability and modeling of each of the universal competencies scales was carried out with the inclusion of a scale of social desirability. The data were analyzed in the framework of structural modeling - confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using bifactor models for each of the measured competencies.
 According to the results of this study, the use of the scale of egoistic social desirability as a measure for adjusting factor scores for the competencies has generally satisfactory psychometric statistics, but there is concern about the relatively large measurement error. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and other practices that are most often used to reduce the effects of social desirability in the academic and business environment.

Portuguese translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Person-Centred Practice Inventory - Staff (PCPI-S).

Aiming to translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically evaluate the Person-centred Practice Inventory - Staff (PCPI-S) for Portuguese healthcare professionals, this methodological study was conducted sequentially in two phases. Phase I followed the 10-steps recommendations from the ISPOR taskforce for translation and cultural adaptation of patient reported outcome measures. Phase II comprised a quantitative cross-sectional virtual survey of the translated PCPI-S with healthcare professionals, who were reached through snowball sampling from both primary and specialized care settings. The psychometric properties of the PCPI-S were determined by assessing reliability and construct validity. A sample of 304 healthcare professionals participated in Phase II. Ceiling effects were found. The overall internal consistency was excellent (> 0.9). The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit after minor modifications, revealing construct validity, and supporting the theoretical framework. In conclusion, the three-factorial model of PCPI-S adjusted to the studied sample is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the perceptions of healthcare professionals on person-centred practice in various Portuguese clinical contexts. Considering the ceiling effects, the effect of social desirability should be explored.

Mastery Approach Goals Mediate the Relationship Between Authenticity and Academic Cheating: Evidence from Cross-Sectional and Two-Wave Longitudinal Studies.

Prior studies revealed several beneficial aspects of being authentic, such as higher subjective well-being, more harmonious interpersonal relationships, and better workplace performance. However, how authenticity relates to unethical cheating behaviors in the academic context remains to be seen. Based on the literature review, the present study hypothesized that authenticity may be negatively linked to academic cheating through the mediating path of mastery approach goals. In Study 1, 250 college students self-reported their demographics and academic performance, and completed the scales of authenticity, academic cheating, mastery approach goals, and social desirability. In Study 2, 111 college students completed the same measures as in Study 1 at two different time points (5 months in between). In Study 1, the results indicated that authenticity was positively associated with mastery approach goals, and both were negatively associated with academic cheating. After controlling for the confounding effect of gender, age, academic performance, and social desirability, mastery approach goals were identified as a mediator in the authenticity-academic cheating relationship. In Study 2, the correlation result confirmed the association patterns found in Study 1. Moreover, cross-lagged analysis supported the directionality proposed in the mediation model. The findings identified the mediating role of mastery approach goals in the link between authenticity and academic cheating, supporting the motivated cognition perspective of personality, the motivational model of academic cheating, and the self-determination theory. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research were provided.

Benefits of a short course on mental health well-being and resilience for healthcare workers in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe study explored whether an asynchronous short online course in mental health well-being and resilience for healthcare workers (HCWs) showed improved self-reported results among participants during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated the course outcomes using the 10-item Connor and Davison's Resilience Scale, the World Health Organization's WHO-five well-being index and self-developed questions. Data were collected via online questionnaires before and after course completion.FindingsA total of 1 301 HCWs participated. The highest proportion of participants was from South Africa (SA) (93.7%) and females (78.7%). Analysed mean pre- and post-training scores showed increased scores in all five domains: knowledge, confidence in course outcomes, behaviour, resilience and well-being. Confidence in the course outcomes was the only common significant construct for both well-being and resilience. Mindfulness activities (β = 0.12, 95%CI [0.032, 0.213], p = 0.008) and self-care behaviours (β = 0.14, 95%CI [0.035, 0.241], p = 0.009) were significant predictors of participants' well-being. Coping mechanisms for stress (β = 0.12, 95%CI [0.036, 0.21], p = 0.006) and connecting with a social support network (β = 0.085, 95%CI [0.0007, 0.17], p = 0.048) were significant predictors of participants' resilience. Those working in the private sector, those working in clinical settings and those who were female showed significant associations with well-being and resilience.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are self-reported data which may be susceptible to social desirability and acquiescent effects. There are no guarantees that positive effects observed during this study are sustained over time. The study sample was selective in that it excluded those who did not consent for the use of their data and those who did not complete the course.Originality/valueThe research is noteworthy as literature shows that female HCWs tend to have worse mental health outcomes than males in the same field. Online learning can enable HCWs to conveniently access mental health education, accommodate their work commitments and explore topics that are potentially stigmatising.

Resilience and depressive symptoms in inpatients with depression: A cross-lagged panel model.

Resilience-the ability to bounce back or quickly recover from stress-has been found to predict treatment outcome in patients with mental disorders such as depression. The current study aimed to test whether resilience itself changes during treatment and whether resilience exclusively predicts changes in depressive symptoms or whether depressive symptoms also predict changes in resilience. Inpatients with depression (N = 2165; average length of stay M = 60days, SD = 32) completed the Brief Resilience Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale at admission and discharge, scores of which were used to run a cross-lagged panel model. Resilience increased and depressive symptoms decreased from admission to discharge. Cross-sectionally, higher resilience was related to lower depressive symptoms at admission and at discharge. Prospectively, higher resilience at admission predicted stronger decreases in depressive symptoms, and higher depressive symptoms at admission predicted smaller increases in resilience. Self-report questionnaires may potentially be biased (e.g., through recall bias, social desirability, or demand effects). The current study further supports that resilience is related not only to fewer mental health problems cross-sectionally but also is sensitive to change and a predictor of treatment outcome in patients with mental disorders. Given this pivotal role in mental health, the current findings highlight the importance of prevention and intervention approaches for promoting resilience in the general population and in persons with mental disorders in particular.

Psychologist attitudes towards disclosure and believability of childhood sexual abuse: Can biases affect perception, judgement, and action?

BackgroundThe perception of CSA disclosure belief is critical to long-term outcomes for CSA survivors. Despite disclosures often occurring in clinical settings CSA survivors do not always report a sense of clinician belief in response to their disclosure. Ascertaining the factors that influence clinician belief is essential to improving outcomes. ObjectiveThis study examined whether language (i.e., word choice to describe abuse) and ongoing relationship status with a perpetrator impact perceptions of CSA belief amongst psychologists. MethodsThis 2 × 2 within subject's study examined relationship effects (ongoing verses estranged) and language effects (consensual verses abusive), embedded in fictitious vignettes, on believability. Seventy-five participants completed demographic surveys, rated and discussed belief in four vignettes, and completed validated scales capturing clinician trauma history and CSA myth endorsement. ResultsA significant main effect for relationship was found with ongoing victim-perpetrator relationships being less believed than depictions of estranged relationships (F(1,3) = 15.57, p = .001, h2 = 0.174). While no main effect for language was found (F(1,3) = 0.06, p = .801, h2 = 0.001) content analysis of the open-ended items revealed 80 % of psychologists reported being influenced by the language manipulations. Correlations revealed male psychologists were less likely to believe disclosures and more likely to endorse CSA myths than females, and psychologists who had engaged in trauma training appeared to have heightened disclosure belief and lower myth endorsement. ConclusionsWhile psychologists generally report belief in CSA disclosures they appear to evaluate specific disclosure aspects to inform this level of belief. Issues around social desirability, measure sensitivity, and learning effects are discussed alongside the importance of trauma training for psychologists.

Investing for More than Just Money: The Non-Utilitarian Benefits of Investments

Purpose: This article aimed to identify the psychological, social, environmental and ethical benefits of investments.
 Methodology: A total of 82 articles that were initially picked for this study, 30 articles were however selected and critically scrutinized to yield this review article.
 Findings: The review findings reveal that investments can have a significant impact on investors' well-being and highlight the importance of considering these benefits in investment decision-making processes.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: One limitation of the existing studies is that they are often based on self-reported data, which may be subject to bias or social desirability effects. This research describes new paradigms to the additional benefits of investments, in addition to the famous monetary gains such as the psychological, social, environmental and ethical benefits. Understanding these trade-offs can help investors make more informed decisions about their investment strategies.

Impact of a pre-test measurement of alcohol craving in cue-exposure studies: Relationship with social desirability and demand effects

Craving is one of the most studied concepts in the field of addiction. It is often investigated with repeated-measure experimental designs using self-reported scales. However, the explicit nature of self-reported craving scales may make them vulnerable to social desirability and demand effects. The aim of the present study was to test whether a pre-experimental measurement of craving affects its post-experimental assessment after an alcohol video exposure and whether these changes relate to social desirability, demand effects, and alcohol consumption. Seventy-five healthy volunteers aged 18–30 years were randomly assigned to two experimental groups: a pre-post and a post-only craving assessment group. They were invited to watch an alcohol-related video. Social desirability, demand effects, engagement toward the video, and severity of alcohol consumption were assessed in all participants. The results showed a significant effect of alcohol consumption (p < .001, η2p = .09) on post-experimental craving. The main effect of the repeated measure of craving was also significant (p = .04, η2p = .001), together with the interaction between these two variables (p = .03, η2p = .06). The pre-experimental craving measurement increased its post-experimental levels, but only in heavy drinkers. However, no evidence was found that these changes were related to social desirability or demand effects. Additional exploratory analyses indicated that craving increase in high alcohol drinkers was mediated by a stronger engagement toward the alcohol-related video.In summary, the repeated measurement of craving with explicit scales has a significant impact on the results of alcohol craving studies and may not always be desirable, especially when the true purpose of the study needs to be hidden from the participants. However, the present results also suggest that the pre-post experimental design is advisable when the experimenters seek to maximize the relationship between the individual levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol cue-exposure craving changes.

Survey mode and satisfaction with democracy

Abstract A growing body of evidence indicates the public is less committed to democracy than conventional wisdom long held. One possibility is that many in the public have internalized the norm that democracy is “good” but that such support is not firmly held. An implication of this reasoning is that because there is an expectation to express support for democracy, responses will be influenced by the presence of an interviewer due to social desirability effects. In this note, we examine the 2012 and 2016 American National Election Studies—in each year, a portion of respondents were interviewed via the internet while others were interviewed face-to-face. We identify a politically relevant difference between the two survey modes: those interviewed face-to-face express greater satisfaction with democracy. Indeed, the difference we identify is similar in magnitude to the difference typically observed between electoral winners and electoral losers. Our result is robust to different measurement and estimation strategies. While levels of satisfaction are influenced by the presence of an interviewer, a followup analysis indicates that the relationship between satisfaction and winner–loser status is similar across modes.

Exploring effects of response biases in affect induction procedures.

This study examined whether self-reports or ratings of experienced affect, often used as manipulation checks on the efficacy of affect induction procedures (AIPs), reflect genuine changes in affective states rather than response biases arising from demand characteristics or social desirability effects. In a between-participants design, participants were exposed to positive, negative and neutral images with valence-congruent music or sound to induce happy, sad and neutral mood. Half of the participants had to actively appraise each image whereas the other half viewed images passively. We hypothesised that if ratings of affective valence are subject to response biases then they should reflect the target mood in the same way for active appraisal and passive exposure as participants encountered the same affective stimuli in both conditions. We also tested whether the AIP resulted in mood-congruent changes in facial expressions analysed by FaceReader to see whether behavioural indicators corroborate the self-reports. The results showed that while participants' ratings reflected the induced target valence, the difference between positive and negative AIP was significantly attenuated in the active appraisal condition, suggesting that self-reports of mood experienced after the AIP are not entirely a reflection of response biases. However, there were no effects of the AIP on FaceReader valence scores, in line with theories questioning the existence of cross-culturally and inter-individually universal behavioural indicators of affective states. Efficacy of AIPs is therefore best checked using self-reports.

An investigation of consumers' preference and willingness to pay for fish welfare in Denmark: A discrete choice modeling approach

Farmed fish welfare has become an important factor in consumers' purchasing decisions. The objective of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate consumers' preference and willingness to pay for farmed fish welfare and (2) to measure the effect of social desirability on consumers' responses. A self-administered online survey was developed and distributed to an Internet panel in Denmark. Discrete choice experiment was used to elicit consumers' preference and willingness to pay for fish welfare. Direct and indirect questioning were used when an individual was asked to make a decision in the discrete choice experiment. Respondents were asked to make their own purchase decision in direct questioning (i.e., the fish product s/he would like to buy), while in indirect questioning, they were asked to make decisions for others (i.e., the most sold product in the market). The results revealed that attributes such as the form of fish, labeling, price, and premium had an influence on consumers' choice of fish. Specifically, consumers were generally willing to pay more in premium for fish that had a “fish welfare guaranteed” label. Consumer heterogeneity was disclosed in consumer preference and willingness to pay. Results also showed that consumers believe other consumers would be likely to pay less for fish welfare than themselves. Thus, the results revealed that social desirability could create bias when valuing fish welfare.

The relationship between response style and symptom reporting in cancer patients

Patient-reported outcomes are considered the gold standard for documenting treatment-related toxicities and cancer-related symptoms in the management of oncology patients. Poor concordance between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) on patients' symptoms has been documented. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between social desirability, a response style, and symptom reporting in a colorectal cancer clinic. Patients being treated for colorectal cancer completed a social desirability measure and a symptom measure before their appointment in the oncology clinic. The HCP who saw the patient completed a symptom measure for the patient after the clinic visit. One hundred sixty-nine patients consented to participate in the study. The majority of the patients had stage 4 disease. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between social desirability and overall reported symptom burden. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between social desirability and concordance between the patient and the HCP on the patient's symptoms. Social desirability scores were stable over the course of 1year. Sensitivity to social desirability effects seems to play an important role in patient self-report of symptoms. As social desirability is a stable quality, patients sensitive to it may be persistently at risk for undertreatment of symptoms due to limited symptom reporting.

Autorregulación emocional y deseabilidad social como predictores de la dependencia emocional en mujeres denunciantes de violencia familiar

ObjectiveTo determine whether emotional self-regulation and social desirability are predictors of emotional dependence in women who report cases of domestic violence. MethodsA cross-sectional predictive study was carried out in a sample of 155 women aged 18–66 years. The psychometric instruments used were the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale (M-C SDS) and the Emotional Dependence Inventory (EDI). ResultsSignificant correlations are evidenced between emotional regulation and emotional dependence (r = .305, p = .000), as well as between emotional dependence and social desirability (r = −.477, p = .000); likewise, through the application of structural equations, the effect of emotional regulation (β = .46, p = .000) and social desirability (β = −.45, p = .000) on emotional dependence is confirmed. ConclusionsEmotional regulation and social desirability predict the occurrence of emotional dependence in the context of cases that reach family violence complaints, which allows understanding the desistance or retractions in the manifestations in the complaints, at the same time opening possibilities of prevention and treatment with respect to emotional dependence.

The state-trait model of cheerfulness and social desirability: an investigation on psychometric properties and links with well-being

Abstract Ruch and colleagues (Ruch, Willibald, Gabriele Köhler &amp; Christoph Van Thriel. 1996. Assessing the “humorous temperament”: Construction of the facet and standard trait forms of the state-trait-cheerfulness-inventory — STCI. Humor 9(3–4). 303–340) postulated high cheerfulness, low seriousness, and low bad mood contribute to exhilaration and enjoyment of humor. Although robust findings have corroborated that cheerfulness is associated with well-being and greatly enhances one’s social desirability, no studies have investigated the effects of social desirability on the assessment of cheerfulness. For this study, 997 undergraduate students completed the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory (STCI) and validity measures. Exploratory factor analyses that controlled for social desirability suggest several items on the STCI cheerfulness subscale loaded on social desirability, whereas seriousness subscale items showed few positive loadings on social desirability and bad mood subscale items loaded negatively on social desirability. Despite associations with social desirability, items overall showed strong loadings onto their respective factors. Factor loadings free of social desirability ranged from 0.39 to 0.84 in cheerfulness, 0.49 to 0.76 in seriousness, and 0.50 to 0.81 in bad mood. Cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood subscale scores demonstrated partial correlations in the expected directions with well-being when controlling for social desirability, albeit smaller in size but not significantly different. The STCI scores demonstrated strong psychometric properties with good reliability, structural validity, and criterion validity when controlling for social desirability.

How sport teaches values? The specific ability of intense bodily commitment to enhance norm adherence

How sport teaches values? The specific ability of intense bodily commitment to enhance norm adherence