20 YEARS OF BOGUS PIPELINE RESEARCH - A CRITICAL-REVIEW AND METAANALYSIS

The bogus pipeline (BPL), a procedure intended to improve the truthful ness of self-reports, was examined in terms of the validity of its eff ects, its optimal procedural format, and its appropriate domain of use . Social psychological research that has used the BPL is reviewed and meta-analyzed. Thirty-one studies were coded for effect size and relev ant procedural characteristics. A significant mean BPL versus control condition effect was evident across these studies, indicating that the BPL engendered reliable effects consistent with a reduction in social ly desirable responding. The BPL produced larger effects when task ins tructions required Ss to guess the BPL's output. These findings, coupl ed with previous indirect validation, provide reasonable documentation that the BPL shifts self-reports toward veracity. Past criticisms of the BPL are considered, and recommendations for its future use are mad e.