S u m m a r y

 

Honkaniemi L & Elo A-L (2006)

The effect of warning about the Desirability Scale on PRF profiles and test-taker reactions

Psykologia 41: 408&endash;419. Vammala ISSN 0355-1067.

 

Deliberate impression management should be controlled for in inventories (Paulhus, 1991). Warning the test-takers about a faking scale included in the inventory might change the inventory profiles in a less desirable direction. Warning could also affect test-taker attitudes towards the assessment (McFarland, 2003).

In this real-life student selection situation, half of the candidates (N=258) were warned about the Personality Research Form (PRF) Desirability Scale, whereas the control group (N=209) was not. Having completed the PRF, the subjects filled out a questionnaire tapping their views on psychological assessment.

The PRF profiles of the test-takers who were warned differed from the of the test-takers who were not warned on six subscales, including the Desirability Scale. The test-takers who were warnedhad more positive attitudes towards the assessment. Making the warning a standard procedure to ensure equal treatment of test-takers and to make their attitudes more positive towards psychological assessment is discussed.

 

Key words:

Socially desirable responding, Warning, Test-taker reactions, PRF, desirability.

 

Laura Honkaniemi, M.A. (psych.), Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, Finland.