Why it was created
Self-report questionnaires can be distorted when people give the answer they think looks best. Douglas Crowne and David Marlowe built a scale of culturally approved but improbable behaviours, reasoning that people who claim many of them may be presenting a flattering image. Importantly, they sought independence from measures of psychopathology.
How researchers use it
Researchers commonly include the scale, or one of its short forms, to check whether scores on another measure are related to desirable responding. A strong correlation may suggest that the other measure is contaminated. It has been used in many fields that rely on self-report.
What it actually measures
Interpretation is disputed. High scores can mean impression management, a sincere but overly positive self-view, or real agreeableness and conscientiousness. Delroy Paulhus distinguished between deliberate self-presentation and self-deception. Some methodologists now caution against statistically controlling for such scales, since doing so may remove valid personality variance.
Further reading
- Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 349-354.
- Reynolds, W. M. (1982). Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 119-125.
- Paulhus, D. L. (1984). Two-component models of socially desirable responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 598-609.