An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Socially Desirable Responding and Offender Self-Report (original) (raw)
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Impression Management and Self-Report Among Violent Offenders
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2006
Offenders are assumed by many to employ socially desirable responding (SDR) response styles when completing self-report measures. Contrary to expectations, prior research has shown that accounting for SDR in self-report measures of antisocial constructs does not improve the relationship with outcome. Despite this, many self-report measures reliably predict future criminal outcome criteria. The present research examines the relationship of SDR (selfdeception and impression management) with self-reported antisocial attitudes and the outcome of criminal recidivism in a sample of violent offenders. Offenders high on impression management reported lower antisocial attitudes. However, when impression management was statistically partialed from antisocial attitudes, the relationship with recidivism tended to diminish, though not to a statistically significant degree. This finding, though hypothesized based on previous empirical findings, is contrary to the theoretical assumption that controlling for SDR should improve the relationship of self-report with outcome. The discussion centers on the implications of routinely removing impression management from self-report.
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 2003
IntroductionMany professionals believe that self-report questionnaires used to predict recidivism have a low validity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the assumption that the validity of self-report is vulnerable to self-presentation biases in offender samples.Many professionals believe that self-report questionnaires used to predict recidivism have a low validity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the assumption that the validity of self-report is vulnerable to self-presentation biases in offender samples.MethodThe participants consisted of 124 male offenders who volunteered to complete the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ).The participants consisted of 124 male offenders who volunteered to complete the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ).ResultsLower scores on measures of social desirability were significantly associated with higher levels of risk (as measured by self-report and a rated actuarial instrument) and a higher likelihood to re-offend. Further, stepwise regression analysis revealed that social desirability added significantly unique variance in the prediction of violent recidivism.Lower scores on measures of social desirability were significantly associated with higher levels of risk (as measured by self-report and a rated actuarial instrument) and a higher likelihood to re-offend. Further, stepwise regression analysis revealed that social desirability added significantly unique variance in the prediction of violent recidivism.DiscussionThe authors propose that impression management may be an enduring person-based characteristic within an offender sample rather than a situationally determined response style. The variance associated with this characterological information is proposed to be the source of the unique predictive variance. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.The authors propose that impression management may be an enduring person-based characteristic within an offender sample rather than a situationally determined response style. The variance associated with this characterological information is proposed to be the source of the unique predictive variance. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2008
Recent research has demonstrated that antisocial attitudes and antisocial associates are among the better predictors of antisocial behavior. This study tests the predictive validity of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) in a sample of adult male offenders. The MCAA comprises two parts: Part A is a quantified self-report measure of criminal friends, and Part B contains four attitude scales: Violence, Entitlement, Antisocial Intent, and Associates. The MCAA scales showed predictive validity for the outcomes of general and violent recidivism. In addition, the MCAA significantly improved the prediction of violent recidivism over an actuarial risk assessment instrument alone. Discussion centers on the contribution that antisocial attitudes and associates make to risk assessment.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2004
Accurate assessment of criminal attributions can assist in explaining crime and identifying offender treatment targets. The current study examines the relationship between a new method of assessing the cognition of criminal attributes, the Criminal Attribution Inventory (CRAI) and a measure of socially desirable responding. 300 participants including incarcerated offenders, released offenders, sex offenders, and university students participated in the current study. Results indicate minimal relationships between socially desirable responding and the CRAI. In a fake-good testing situation, the faking index had appropriate sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive power in identifying fake-good responses. The CRAI's instructional set of general observation as opposed to self-representation appears to limit socially desirable responding and also allows the CRAI to be administered to nonoffender populations.
Social Desirability and Sexual Offenders: A Review
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 2008
Social desirability--the desire to make a favorable impression on others-poses a significant threat to the validity of self-reports. This review examines research on social desirability in both forensic and nonforensic populations with the goal of identifying how best to minimize threats to the validity of research with sexual offenders. Although social desirability has long been a major research topic in personality, consensus has not been reached on key questions such as its dimensional structure and whether social desirability constitutes a trait or a response bias. Research with offenders has shown that social desirability is negatively related to recidivism and that different offender subtypes vary in the degree to which social desirability appears to influence self-reports, with child molesters exhibiting the strongest tendency to "fake good." Several methods of controlling for social desirability have been proposed, but the effectiveness of these methods in increasing validity of offender self reports is questionable. Given the lack of consensus in the personality literature, a fresh start is needed in which basic questions regarding social desirability are revisited with respect to offender populations.
Assessment, 2002
Recent meta-analysis has demonstrated that attitudes and associates are among the best predictors of antisocial behavior. Despite this finding, there are few psychometrically developed and validated measures of criminal and antisocial attitudes and associates. This study reviews the theoretical and empirical development of the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA), which is composed of two parts. Part A is a quantified self-report measure of criminal friends. Part B contains four attitude scales: Violence, Entitlement, Antisocial Intent, and Associates. The MCAA showed reasonable reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) and appropriate convergent and discriminant validity. Criterion validity was evidenced in the scale's relationship with criminal history variables, and a factor analysis confirmed the four distinct scale domains.
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2013
Little research has examined offenders' understanding of the factors that increase their likelihood of future criminal activity. Although social-psychological research has described many ways in which individuals have overly positive views of themselves and their performance, a more limited body of literature has demonstrated that offenders exhibit an unrealistically optimistic perception of their success upon release from incarceration. A survey designed to assess offender understanding of general risk factors and their own risk factors was administered to male offenders (N = 88) returning to the community from prison incarceration. Results suggest that these individuals have an appreciation for the factors that generally increase the risk of future offending, but do not perceive these factors as personally relevant. In addition, the concordance between offender-identified and Level of Service/Case Management Inventory-identified risk factors was limited. Implications of this lack of understanding, and ways to improve upon this knowledge, are discussed.
The Effects of Offenders’ Emotions Versus Behaviors on Victims’ Perception of Their Personality
2012
Some people experience a feeling of guilt after transgressing a social norm, while others do not. Perceiving this emotion in others therefore yields important information about their personality. Two experimental studies assessed the effects of the victims' perceptions of the offenders' feelings of guilt on the victims' judgments of the offenders' personality. Study 1 showed that offenders perceived as experiencing guilt are viewed as being more extraverted (sociable) and more conscientious (competent) than those who are not.
International journal of law and psychiatry, 2016
The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Socially Desirable Response Set-5 (SDRS-5) among a forensic sample (N=324) of incarcerated male (n=221) and female (n=103) juvenile offenders. The Portuguese validation of the SDRS-5 demonstrated good psychometric properties, namely in terms of its factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity that overall justifies its use among this population. Findings are discussed in terms of the use of the SDRS-5 with male and female juvenile offenders.