Response biases and their relation to sex differences in multiple domains of self-concept

Sex differences on self-concept measures often fit stereotypical patterns i n which women score higher in verbal and artistic domains and men score hig her in math and physical domains. However, sex differences in performance s ometimes do not parallel these differences in self-perception. To explore o ne possible explanation for this inconsistency, we examined the possible in fluence of two forms of socially desirable responding (SDR) on scores withi n 17 domains of self-concept. Significant sex differences were found in 12 of those domains, which accounted for 1% to 8% of the variance in self-conc ept scores. The sex differences emerged in stereotypical patterns and showe d little change after controlling for self-deception-the unintentional form of SDR. However, after controlling for impression management-the intention al form of SDR-sex differences in many domains decreased with some dropping to nonsignificant levels. These findings raise the possibility that impres sion management may be responsible in part for apparent sex differences in some domains of self-concept.