Faking Good, Faking Bad, And Answering Honestly
This study examined the efficacy of the validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The validity scales consisted of the L-scale, F-scale, and K-scale. These scales are designed to tell if the test taker is lying, answering infrequently, or answering with defensiveness, respectively. Three different instructions were added to the beginning of the MMPI-2. One told the subject to answer the questions as favorable as possible, thereby faking good. The second told the subject to answer the questions as negative as possible, thereby faking bad. The final set of instructions told the subject to answer the questions as they normally would, thereby answering honestly. The subjects were 41 undergraduate upper-classmen enrolled in an upper-level psychology course. Results appeared concurrent with those previously reported by similar studies. Accurately identifying between the fake-good group and the honest group was very difficult; while identifying those who were faking bad was very easy. The correct classification rate was 71% when using the standard MMPI-2 rules of L > 70T for faking good and F > 70T for faking bad. The value of the MMPI-2 in correctly classifying faking individuals using cut
The next time class met, the instructor informed her students that there were three different sets of instructions for the MMPI-2 that they all took. She read the instructions for each of the three methods so the students would understand under what conditions their fellow students had had to complete the MMPI-2. The instructor explained how the MMPI-2 is scored and the different scales that can help determine personality disorders and the validity scales designed to identify if a subject had tried to fake-bad, fake-good, or if they had actually responded honestly. Students were informed that the purpose of the experiment was to see if they would be correctly classified based on the instructions they were informed to follow. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) is a measure of psychology that is the most recent version of the original MMPI. The MMPI-2 is an objective test that consists of 567 true-false items and that was developed using empirical keying. It provides scores on several clinical scales and is one of the most widely used measures of personality and psychopathology (Compas & Gotlb, 2002). The F-scale is designed to test the infrequency of a subject’s responses resulting in deviant responses. Questions like, “When I am with people, I am bothered by hearing strange things,” combined with, “No one cares much what happens to you,” and, “I believe in law enforcement,” detect unusual or atypical ways of answering test items. Less than ten percent of normals score in the deviant direction, making this a useful test.
Some topics in this essay:
Shores Carstairs,
K-scale L-scale,
BAD FAKE,
Procedures MMPI-2,
F-scale K-scale,
Honest Read,
Colorado Boulder,
Bad Fake,
Note Total,
Compas Gotlb,
validity scales,
answer questions,
fake bad,
faking bad,
mark left,
mark left item,
left item,
et al,
shores carstairs 1998,
applied hypothetical,
true applied,
item statement,
left item statement,
instructor informed students,
told subject answer,
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Approximate Word count = 2506
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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