Statement Desirability Ratings in Forced-Choice Personality Measure Development: Implications for Reducing Score Inflation and Providing Trait-Level Information

Recent studies have produced mixed results regarding the effectiveness of forced-choice formats in reducing faking on personality measures. The present research examined a potentially important factor influencing forced-choice measure effectiveness—namely, the manner in which statement desirability ratings used in constructing forced-choice items are obtained—with the goal of clarifying previous findings and providing guidance for those interested in developing these measures. Two studies indicated that different desirability rating instructions produce substantially different forced-choice measures that are differentially effective in reducing score inflation and retaining trait-level information under faking conditions. These studies suggest that the manner in which statement desirability ratings are obtained may be an important consideration in forced-choice measure development.