title: Socially Desirable Responding in Web-Based Questionnaires: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Candor Hypothesis.
abstract: Unproctored, web-based assessments supposedly reduce social desirability distortions in self-report questionnaires because of an increased sense of privacy among participants. Three random-effects meta-analyses focusing either on social desirability ( k = 30, total N = 3,746), the Big Five of personality ( k = 66, total N = 2,951), or psychopathology ( k = 96, total N = 16,034) compared social desirability distortions of self-reports across computerized and paper-and-pencil administration modes. Overall, a near-zero effect, Δ = 0.01, was obtained that did not indicate less socially desirable responding in computerized assessments. Moreover, moderator analyses did not identify differential effects for proctored and unproctored procedures. Thus, paper-and-pencil and computerized administrations of self-report scales yield comparable mean scores. Unproctored web-based surveys do not offer an advantage with regard to socially desirable responding in self-report questionnaires.
authors.affiliation: 1 Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories, Bamberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gnambs
authors.affiliation: 2 University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaspar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010556:Personality Tests / Q000592:standards; D011177:Postal Service; D011599:Psychopathology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012107:Research Design; D057566:Self Report; D012928:Social Desirability; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: meta-analysis; response bias; social desirability; survey mode; web-based