Putting applicant faking effects on personality tests into context
Journal of Managerial Psychology
ISSN: 0268-3946
Article publication date: 5 September 2017
Issue publication date: 17 October 2017
Abstract
Purpose
Estimates of the effects of faking on personality scores typically represent the difference from one sample mean to another sample mean in terms of standard deviations. While this is technically accurate, it does put faking effects into the context of the individuals actually engaging in faking behavior. The purpose of this paper is to address this deficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a mathematical proof and a computational simulation manipulating faking effect size, prevalence of faking, and the size of the applicant pool.
Findings
The paper illustrates that reported effects of faking are underestimates of the amount of faking that individual test takers are engaging in. Results provide researchers and practitioners with more accurate estimates of how to interpret faking effects sizes.
Practical implications
To understand the impact of faking on personality testing, it is important to consider both faking effect sizes as well as the prevalence of faking.
Originality/value
Researchers and practitioners do not often consider the real implications of faking effect sizes. The current paper presents those results in a new light.
Keywords
Citation
Burns, G.N., Shoda, E.A. and Roebke, M.A. (2017), "Putting applicant faking effects on personality tests into context", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 32 No. 6, pp. 460-468. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-01-2017-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited