The present study investigated the potentially biasing effect of respondents' identification in regard to responses made to the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale. The degree of manifest desirability as measured by the scale was inversely related to respondents' anonymity. There was some evidence that this effect was stronger for females (n = 31) than for males (n = 35). These findings are relevant to the potential biasing of responses to questionnaires which include socially sensitive items.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarthelC. E.CrowneD. P.The need for approval, task categorization, and perceptual defense. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1926, 26, 547–555.
2.
CrowneD. P.MarloweD.The approval motive, studies in evaluative dependence. New York: Wiley, 1964.
3.
EdwardsA. L.The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research. New York: Dryden, 1957.
4.
LiverantS.ScodelA.Internal and external control as determinants of decision making under conditions of risk. Psychological Reports, 1960, 7, 59–67.
5.
OrneM. T.The nature of hypnosis: artifact and essence. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1959, 58, 277–299.
6.
OrneM. T.On the social psychology of the psychological experiment: with particular reference to demand characteristics and their implications. American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 776–783.
7.
OrneM. T.EvansF. J.Social control in the psychological experiment: antisocial behavior and hypnosis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1965, 1, 189–200.