title: Intentional response distortion on personality tests: using eye-tracking to understand response processes when faking.
abstract: Intentional response distortion or faking among job applicants completing measures such as personality and integrity tests is a concern in personnel selection. The present study aimed to investigate whether eye-tracking technology can improve our understanding of the response process when faking. In an experimental within-participants design, a Big Five personality test and an integrity measure were administered to 129 university students in 2 conditions: a respond honestly and a faking good instruction. Item responses, response latencies, and eye movements were measured. Results demonstrated that all personality dimensions were fakeable. In support of the theoretical position that faking involves a less cognitively demanding process than responding honestly, we found that response times were on average 0.25 s lower and participants had less eye fixations in the fake good condition [corrected]. However, in the fake good condition, participants had more fixations on the 2 extreme response options of the 5-point answering scale, and they fixated on these more directly after having read the question. These findings support the idea that faking leads to semantic rather than self-referenced item interpretations. Eye-tracking was demonstrated to be potentially useful in detecting faking behavior, improving detecting rates over and beyond response extremity and latency metrics.
authors.affiliation: Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. e.a.j.vanhooft@uva.nl
authors.forename: Edwin A J
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: van Hooft
authors.forename: Marise Ph
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Born
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D008192:Deception; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010556:Personality Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult