Spotting the "ideal" personality response: Effects of item matching in forced choice measures for personnel selection
Hughes,Angus W. Dunlop,Patrick D. Holtrop,Djurre Wee,Serena
Hughes,Angus W.
Dunlop,Patrick D.
Holtrop,Djurre
Wee,Serena
Abstract
Forced choice (FC) personality questionnaires attempt to constrain job applicants from presenting idealized responses (or "faking"). FC questionnaires are designed by identifying items equally desirable in applicants, matching these into "blocks," and instructing respondents to rank the items "most like" themselves. Nonetheless, how closely items should bematched remains unclear, and desirability seems dependent on the job. We investigated how strongly respondents (N=436)agreed regarding the "ideal" applicant response, while varying (a) how closely items were matched into blocksand(b) the job context. While the most closely matched blocks elicited slightagreement on an ideal response, agreement increased notice ably with poorer matching. Nonetheless, differences in item desirability between different job conditions were evident even in closely matched blocks.
Description
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Keywords
APPLICANT FAKING, FACETS, SOCIAL DESIRABILITY, TESTS, applicant faking, forced choice, personality, personnel selection, socially desirable responding
Citation
Hughes, A W, Dunlop, P D, Holtrop, D & Wee, S 2021, 'Spotting the "ideal" personality response : Effects of item matching in forced choice measures for personnel selection', Journal of Personnel Psychology, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 17-26. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000267