Context: In high-stakes assessments, such as court cases or managerial evaluations, decision-makers heavily rely on psychological testing. These assessments often play a crucial role in determining important decisions that affect a person's life and have a significant impact on society.Problem Statement: Research indicates that many psychological assessments are compromised by respondents' deliberate distortions and inaccurate self-presentations. Among these sources of bias, socially desirable responding (SDR) describes the tendency to provide overly positive self-descriptions. This positive response bias can invalidate test results and lead to inaccurate assessments.Objectives: The present study is aimed at investigating the utility of mouse- and eye-tracking technologies for detecting SDR in psychological assessments. By integrating these technologies, the study sought to develop more effective methods for identifying when respondents are presenting themselves in a favorable light.Methods: Eighty-five participants completed the Lie (L) and Correction (K) scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) twice: once answering honestly and once presenting themselves in a favorable light, with the order of conditions balanced. Repeated measures univariate analyses were conducted on L and K scale T-scores, as well as on mouse- and eye-tracking features, to compare the honest and instructed SDR conditions. Additionally, machine learning models were developed to integrate T-scores, kinematic indicators, and eye movements for predicting SDR.Results: The results showed that participants in the SDR condition recorded significantly higher T-scores, longer response times, wider mouse trajectories, and avoided looking at the answers they intended to fake, compared to participants in the honest condition. Machine learning algorithms predicted SDR with 70%-78% accuracy.Conclusion: New assessment strategies using mouse- and eye-tracking can help practitioners identify whether data is genuine or fabricated, potentially enhancing decision-making accuracy.Implications: Combining self-report measures with implicit data can improve SDR detection, particularly in managerial, organizational, and forensic contexts where precise assessments are crucial.

A Step Forward in Identifying Socially Desirable Respondents: An Integrated Machine Learning Model Considering T‐Scores, Response Time, Kinematic Indicators, and Eye Movements

Mazza, Cristina
Primo
;
Ceccato, Irene
Secondo
;
Cannito, Loreta;Ricci, Eleonora;Bartolini, Emanuela;Di Crosta, Adolfo;La Malva, Pasquale;Colasanti, Marco;Giromini, Luciano;Palumbo, Rocco;Palumbo, Riccardo;Di Domenico, Alberto
Penultimo
;
Roma, Paolo
Ultimo
2024-01-01

Abstract

Context: In high-stakes assessments, such as court cases or managerial evaluations, decision-makers heavily rely on psychological testing. These assessments often play a crucial role in determining important decisions that affect a person's life and have a significant impact on society.Problem Statement: Research indicates that many psychological assessments are compromised by respondents' deliberate distortions and inaccurate self-presentations. Among these sources of bias, socially desirable responding (SDR) describes the tendency to provide overly positive self-descriptions. This positive response bias can invalidate test results and lead to inaccurate assessments.Objectives: The present study is aimed at investigating the utility of mouse- and eye-tracking technologies for detecting SDR in psychological assessments. By integrating these technologies, the study sought to develop more effective methods for identifying when respondents are presenting themselves in a favorable light.Methods: Eighty-five participants completed the Lie (L) and Correction (K) scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) twice: once answering honestly and once presenting themselves in a favorable light, with the order of conditions balanced. Repeated measures univariate analyses were conducted on L and K scale T-scores, as well as on mouse- and eye-tracking features, to compare the honest and instructed SDR conditions. Additionally, machine learning models were developed to integrate T-scores, kinematic indicators, and eye movements for predicting SDR.Results: The results showed that participants in the SDR condition recorded significantly higher T-scores, longer response times, wider mouse trajectories, and avoided looking at the answers they intended to fake, compared to participants in the honest condition. Machine learning algorithms predicted SDR with 70%-78% accuracy.Conclusion: New assessment strategies using mouse- and eye-tracking can help practitioners identify whether data is genuine or fabricated, potentially enhancing decision-making accuracy.Implications: Combining self-report measures with implicit data can improve SDR detection, particularly in managerial, organizational, and forensic contexts where precise assessments are crucial.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11564/843997
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