Premium
Social desirability in the selection process: new insights from a novel context
Author(s) -
Li Andrew,
Bagger Jessica,
Friske Wesley
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
asia pacific journal of human resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.825
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1744-7941
pISSN - 1038-4111
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7941.2012.00032.x
Subject(s) - openness to experience , psychology , social desirability , personality , social psychology , context (archaeology) , selection (genetic algorithm) , sample (material) , computer science , paleontology , chemistry , chromatography , artificial intelligence , biology
In this study we examined whether past research on social desirability based on western samples could be generalized to a novel environment, such as S ingapore. We also investigated whether cultural orientations predict the inflation of personality scores in the selection process and whether they influence the effectiveness of social desirability correction. Using survey data collected at two points from 324 undergraduate business students (166 students from the U nited S tates and 158 students from S ingapore), the results of this within‐subject design study were mixed. Specifically, while social desirability inflated scores on personality measures, it also increased their criterion validity in S ingapore. Additionally, self‐deception enhancement ( SDE ) predicted the inflation of openness to experience scores in the U nited S tates. Finally, in the sample from the U nited S tates, correcting for SDE increased the criterion validity of personality measures to a greater extent for those who scored high on horizontal individualism ( HI ) than it did for those who scored low on HI .