OBJECTIVE DETECTION OF FAKING ON ROLE-PLAY TESTS OF ASSERTION - GENDER DIFFERENCES

The validity of role-play tests of assertiveness can be reduced by the effects of faking. Kern demonstrated that faking could be detected us ing assessors global judgements. The present analysis is based on Kern 's 1994 videotapes, examining the effectiveness of more objective meas ures. Undergraduates who were low in assertiveness and instructed to f ake high assertiveness on the Idiographic Role-play Test (n=23) emitte d more statements indicative of social-evaluative concerns than the ve ridically highly assertive testees (n=27). Significant gender differen ces in the detectability of faking were also obtained. Whereas 24 fema le fakers and nonfakers were differentiated via verbalizations of lika bility, 26 male fakers and nonfakers were differentiated via empathic- assertive statements. The implications and limitations of this method to detect faking are discussed.