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Acquiescence and Social Desirability Response Sets, Item Characteristics, and Conformity

Author(s):
Stricker, Lawrence J.
Publication Year:
1962
Report Number:
RB-62-11
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
45
Subject/Key Words:
Attitude Measures, Compliance Psychology, Conformity, Item Analysis, Personality Measures, Response Style (Tests), Social Desirability

Abstract

This study explored the tendency for two characteristics of personality (P) and attitude (A) items--readability and extremeness--to elicit acquiescent and socially desirable responses. The results were largely not consistent with a conceptualization of these response sets as aspects of conformity. The findings were that (a) more acquiescent responses were made to moderate than to extreme P and A items; (b) fewer socially desirable responses were made to moderate than to extreme P items, but no differences were found for A items; (c) more acquiescent responses were made to hard- than easy-to-read A items, although, conversely, fewer acquiescent responses were made to hard- than easy-to-read P items; (d) fewer socially desirable responses were made to hard- than easy-to-read P and A items; (e) subjects high, moderate, and low in acquiescence, as measured independently, did not generally differ in their trends of acquiescent responses to items varying in readability and extremeness; (f) subjects high, moderate, and low in social desirability set, as measured independently, did not generally differ in their trends of socially desirable responses to items varying in readability and extremeness; (g) responses to the two subsets of items that should most reflect conformity were uncorrelated; and (h) the set responses had little generality over different kinds of content or item format. The implications of these findings for the conceptualization, alternative conceptualizations of acquiescent and social desirability response sets, and the generality of these response sets were discussed.

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