Managing Self-Presentation

How Social Cues Shape Different Forms of Socially Desirable Responding

Abstract

Socially desirable responding (SDR) is usually treated as a “noise” in psychological research, to be controlled for by creating certain conditions for respondents. We tested a range of cues aimed to decrease/ increase SDR to be applied/avoided in selection or recruitment. To decrease it, we developed two novel procedures: one inspired by the bogus pipeline in which the respondents were induced to believe we can objectively record their sincerity (all three studies), and the other, inspired by the Bayesian Truth Serum (BTS) method, in which the respondents were rewarded points for sincerity (Study 3). To increase it, we exposed the respondents to descriptive group norms signaling socially desirable behaviors in their peers (Study 1 and Study 2). We measured SDR via overclaiming (Study 1 and Study 3), L and K scales from the MMPI (Study 1), and attitudes towards vulnerable groups (Study 2). Across all three studies, we decreased the SDR via newly developed procedures, but failed to increase it, indicating a “default” level of positive self-presentation. When we compared the two procedures for decreasing SDR (overclaiming indices), the one inspired by the bogus pipeline was more effective than the BTS-inspired one (Study 3).