The Relationship of the Marlowe-Crowne Scale and its Components to Defensive Preferences

Two lines of recent research have interpreted the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS) as a measure of either need to avoid social disapproval or need to protect and maintain vulnerable self-esteem. In addition, it has been suggested that two component (Attribution and Denial) scores derived from the MC-SDS are differentially related to defensiveness. The present study tested several hypotheses regarding the relationship of the MC-SDS and its components to relative preference for five classes of defensive responses, as measured by the Defense Mechanisms Inventory. Results among females best supported a disapproval-avoidance interpretation of the MC-SDS. while no support was found for the proposed differential validity of the attribution, and denial components. Support for such differential validity was, however, obtained among males. Results for this group suggest that high denial component scorers will opt for protecting vulnerable self-esteem even in the face of possible social disapproval, while high attribution scorers are primarily concerned with avoiding such disapproval. Implications for use of the MCSDS and its components as measures of defensiveness are discussed and suggestions for additional research are presented.     

Performance on the Marlowe-Crowne Scale and its Perceived Purpose

Performance on the Marlowe-Crowne Scale was compared for Ss who saw the test as a measure of honesty, self-awareness or social desirability (Honesty group) as compared to those who saw it as a measure of some other attribute (Other group). Using two measures to assess test perception, Ss in the Other group were found, as predicted, to have higher Marlowe-Crowne scores than those in the Honesty group.     

Norwegian short-form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

A tutorial example demonstrates the effects of social desirability bias on fictional multiculturalism and mental health data and how bias can be moderated by parital correlations using social desirabiliry measures of different degrees of validity. The 33-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale was translated from English to Norwegian and presented to 117 university students and 124 non-students. Using psychometric criteria, and a "seed-crystal" method accretion, a 10-item Norwegian short-form of the Marlowe-Crowne scale was produced.     

Intellectual ability correlates of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

The hypothesis that the Marlowe-Crowne Scale would be negatively related to a variety of intellectual ability measures was investigated in a sample of college students. As predicted, MC scores were negatively correlated with measures of intelligence (Quick Test), associational ability (Remote Associates Test), and academic achievement (course grades). These results suggest that the vulnerable self-esteem and defensiveness traditionally ascribed to high versus low MC scorers may at least in part, reflect a history of poorer performance in intellectual and academically related activities.     

On the two-dimensional nature of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Ramanaiah, Schill, and Leung (1977) reported empirical evidence supporting Millham's (1974) hypothesis that attribution and denial are two separate components of the MC-SD scale. This paper presents the results of two studies conducted to test the hypothesis that the results obtained by Ramanaiah et al. (1977) may be attributed to method variance caused by the keying direction in the MC-SD attribution and denial subscales. The first study was concerned with the development of balanced attribution and denial scales, while the second study investigated whether the results from Ramanaiah et al., which used the original unbalanced attribution and denial scales, could be replicated with the balanced scales developed in Study I. The results strongly supported the tested hypothesis, indicating that the two subscales are measuring essentially the same construct.     

Buffers items, insight, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Summary: The influence of buffer items on response to the MarloweCrowne Social Desirability Scale (MC) was examined. Thirty-four college student subjects received MC questionnaires with intermixed extraversion and neuroticism items, while 35 others received separate MC and extraversion-neuroticism questionnaires. MC means under the two conditions differed nonsignificantly, and confidence interval estimation spoke against the likelihood of any appreciable buffer item effect. Little insight into the purpose of MC was exhibited-less than half that previously reported by Shrauger (1972)-nor was it related to the buffer item manipulation.     

Regarding some short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

A program of Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale research is described, focusing on the distinction between positively keyed and negatively keyed items. Balanced short forms exist for the measurement of an overall social desirability construct, but evidence suggests the use as well of separate subscales. These subscales are seen to correlate differentially with the substantive personality variable neuroticism, with content-free measures of semantic style, and with self-peer agreement. A simple procedure for the concomitant measurement of possible tendency to acquiesce is also described.     

Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Full and Short Versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Abstract

Over the years, researchers have developed various short versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (D. P. Crowne & D. Marlowe, 1960). The authors used confirmatory factor analyses (J. L. Arbuckle, 1997) as well as item and scale analyses to evaluate the adequacy of the full version and various short versions. Overall, the results from 232 Canadian undergraduates showed (a) that all the short versions in the present study are a significant improvement in fit over the 33-item full scale and (b) that W. M. Reynolds's (1982) Forms A and B are the best fitting short versions. No gender differences were found for the full scale or any of the short versions. The results show that the full scale could be improved psychometrically and that the psychometrically sound short versions should be available because they require less administration time than the full scale.     

Confirmatory factor analyses of the full and short versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

Over the years, researchers have developed various short versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (D. P. Crowne & D. Marlowe, 1960). The authors used confirmatory factor analyses (J. L. Arbuckle, 1997) as well as item and scale analyses to evaluate the adequacy of the full version and various short versions. Overall, the results from 232 Canadian undergraduates showed (a) that all the short versions in the present study are a significant improvement in fit over the 33-item full scale and (b) that W. M. Reynolds's (1982) Forms A and B are the best fitting short versions. No gender differences were found for the full scale or any of the short versions. The results show that the full scale could be improved psychometrically and that the psychometrically sound short versions should be available because they require less administration time than the full scale.     

The relationship of self and occupational concepts to the occupational preferences of adolescents

This study tested aspects of Super's self-concept theory of career development with a sample of British schoolchildren. Findings suggested that self-concepts and concepts of occupational preferences do have a role in career development, though there were some indications that the theory is more applicable to more able youngsters and to those high in self-esteem, than to others. Agreement between ideal-self-concepts and occupational preference concepts was significantly greater than that between actual-self-concepts and occupational preference concepts. This finding was interpreted as reflecting the youngsters' greater concern for the future and the possible, rather than the present and the given, and it suggested that refinements are needed in Super's theory.     

Retrospective dream components and musical preferences

Retrospective dream components endorsed on the KJP Dream Inventory were correlated with those on the Short Test of Musical Preference for 68 graduate students in counseling psychology (11 men). Among 40 correlations, 6 were significant between preferences for Heavy Metal and Dissociative avoidance dreams (.32), Dreaming that you are dreaming (.40), Dreaming that you have fallen unconscious or asleep (.41), Recurring pleasantness (.31), and Awakening abruptly from a dream (-.31); between preferences for Rap/Hip-Hop and Sexual dreams (.27); and between preferences for Jazz and Recurring pleasantness in dreams (.33). Subjects preferring Classical music reported a higher incidence of Dreams of flying (.33) and rated higher Discontentedness in dreams (-.26). The meaning of these low values awaits research based on personality inventories and full dream reports.     

Validity of the Internal-External Scale in its relationship with political position

The study was designed to interpret previous reports of a relationship between left wing political position and externality on Rotter's (1966) Internal-External (I-E) Scale. I-E items phrased in the first person were associated with a criterion measure of locus of control, and externality on the scale predicted inferior performance in a skill-controlled task. However, political position was related to neither the criterion measure of locus of control nor to successful performance in a skill-controlled task. Thus, there was no evidence that political position was related to locus of control in spite of its relationship with the I-E Scale. There was discussion of implications for the validity of the I-E Scale and for studying relationships between personality and political variables.     

The relationship of novelty preferences during infancy to later intelligence and later recognition memory

In the present study, a group of children originally tested for visual novelty preferences at 7 months and seen for estimates of intelligence at 3 years were revisited and tested for intellectual functioning and for visual recognition performance at 5 years. Prediction from performance at 7 months to intellectual functioning at 5 years was significant and remained at the same level as prediction from 7 months to 3 years (r = .42 at each point). In addition, it was shown that data on early novelty preferences could be combined with information on birth-order and parental education to achieve good prediction (R = .65) of five-year IQ scores. A further goal of the present study was to discover if infants' preferences for visual novelty, assumed to be an early measure of visual recognition memory would be more highly associated with later visual recognition performance or with later intellectual level. The results indicate that novelty preferences were more highly related to later intelligence quotients than to later recognition performance and such a pattern of relationships did not to be artificial.     

Reducing defensive distancing: Self-affirmation and risk regulation in response to relationship threats

The risk regulation model proposes that people with low self-esteem, but not those with high self-esteem, react to relationship-based self-threats by defensively distancing from their partner. In the present study, we hypothesized that a self-affirmation manipulation, by restoring self-worth and integrity for people with low self-esteem, would attenuate this defensive distancing behavior. Participants were exposed to either a relationship-based self-threat or no such threat, and then completed a self-affirmation or a control task. As predicted, when presented with a self-threat, individuals with low self-esteem distanced from their partner. This effect was attenuated if they were given the opportunity to self-affirm. By contrast, the threat and self-affirmation manipulations had no effect for those with high self-esteem. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for risk regulation theory and self-affirmation theory.     

Expectations and preferences regarding confidentiality in the psychologist-client relationship

Two hundred and fifty-six members of the Australian public were surveyed regarding situations in which a psychologist might breach confidentiality and third parties to whom information might be disclosed. There was strong agreement between respondents' expectations about the way in which psychologists would act, and their preferences regarding how psychologists should act. While respondents supported confidentiality within the psychotherapeutic relationship, they clearly distinguished situations in which, and third parties to whom, disclosure could appropriately occur. Disclosure was expected and preferred when a client revealed a murder (planned or confessed), suicide plans, child abuse, or treason, and where the recipients of the information were colleagues of the psychologist or parents of a client younger than 13 years. Compared to nonparents, parents more strongly supported disclosure regarding illegal drug use and child abuse, and believed that parents should have access to a child's records. In general, respondents' view of the way in which psychologists should treat confidentiality issues were consistent with the guidelines prescribed by the Australian Psychological Society in the Code of Professional Conduct (1986).