Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reliability among Senior Managers of the Marlowe–Crowne Short-Form Social Desirability Scale

  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The majority of scholarly management studies are based on self-report surveys. Consequently, the need to control for social desirability response is important, although few management studies in fact include the use of relevant scales commonly incorporated in psychology research. The full Marlowe–Crowne scale is disaffectingly long for senior-manager sample usage, so one of its short forms is more practical. However, the reliability of the most popular of these, the Strahan–Gerbasi scale, has not been tested with senior-manager samples. This study tests the scale amongst several senior-manager samples and finds it consistently lacks adequate reliability and unidimensionality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • A. Anastasi (1976) Psychological testing EditionNumber4th Edition. Macmillan New York

    Google Scholar 

  • J. C. Anderson J. A. Narus (1990) ArticleTitleA model of the distributor’s firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships Journal of Marketing 54 42–58

    Google Scholar 

  • J. C. Anderson D. W. Gerbing (1982) ArticleTitleSome methods for respecifying measurement methods to obtain unidimensional construct measurement Journal of Marketing Research 19 453–460

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Aquino M. Bradfield (2000) ArticleTitlePerceived victimization in the workplace: The role of situational factors and victim characteristics Organization Science 11 525–537 Occurrence Handle10.1287/orsc.11.5.525.15205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K. Aquino S. L. Grover M., Bradfield D. G. Allen (1999) ArticleTitleThe effects of negative affectivity, hierarchical status, and self-determination on workplace victimization Academy of Management Journal 42 260–272

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Aquino M. U., Lewis M. Bradfield (1999) ArticleTitleJustice constructs, negative affectivity, and employee deviance: A proposed model and empirical test Journal of Organizational Behavior 20 1073–1091 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199912)20:7<1073::AID-JOB943>3.0.CO;2-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. S. Armstrong T. S. Overton (1977) ArticleTitleEstimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys Journal of Marketing Research 14 396–402

    Google Scholar 

  • H. J. Arnold D. C., Feldman (1981) ArticleTitleSocial desirability response bias in self-report choice situations Academy of Management Journal 24 377–385

    Google Scholar 

  • H. J. Arnold D. C. Feldman M. Purbhoo (1985) ArticleTitleThe role of social desirability response bias in turnover research Academy of Management Journal 28 955–966

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Ballard (1992) ArticleTitleShort forms of the Marlowe–Crowne social desirability scale Psychological Reports 71 1155–1160 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByyC38nkvVI%3D Occurrence Handle1480695

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R. Ballard M. D., Crino S. Rubenfeld (1988) ArticleTitleSocial desirability response bias and the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale Psychological Reports 63 227–237

    Google Scholar 

  • P. M. Bentler (1988) ArticleTitleComparative fit indexes in structural models Psychological Bulletin 107 238–246

    Google Scholar 

  • S. N. Beretvas J. I. Meyers W. L. Leite (2002) ArticleTitleA reliability generalization study of the Marlowe–Crowne social desirability scale Educational and Psychological Measurement 62 570–589 Occurrence HandleMR1913159

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • K. A. Bollen (1989) Structural equations with latent variables Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • M. W. Browne R. Cudeck (1993) Alternative ways of assessing model fit K. A. Bollen J. S. Long (Eds) Testing Structural Equation Models Sage Beverly Hills, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • V. D. Bush G. M. Rose F., Gilbert T. N. Ingram (2001) ArticleTitleManaging culturally diverse buyer-seller relationships: The role of intercultural disposition and adaptive selling in developing intercultural communication competence Journal of the Academy of Marketing 29 391–404 Occurrence Handle10.1177/03079450094234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. W. Cadogan A., Diamantopoulos C. P. de Mortanges (1999) ArticleTitleA measure of export market orientation: Scale development and cross-cultural validation Journal of International Business Studies 30 689–707

    Google Scholar 

  • D. T. Campbell D. W. Fiske (1959) ArticleTitleConvergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix Psychological Bulletin 56 81–105 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CyaD28zovFY%3D Occurrence Handle13634291

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • E. G. Carmines R. A. Zeller (1979) Reliability and validity assessment Sage Beverly Hills, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • G. A. Churchill (1979) ArticleTitleParadigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs Journal of Marketing Research 16 64–73

    Google Scholar 

  • L. J. Cronbach (1951) ArticleTitleCoefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests’ Psychometrika 16 279–334

    Google Scholar 

  • D. P. Crowne D. Marlowe (1960) ArticleTitleA new scale of social desirability independent of psycho-pathology Journal of Consulting Psychology 24 349–354 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CC%2BC3szkvFw%3D Occurrence Handle13813058

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • S. I. Donaldson E. J. Grant-Vallone (2002) ArticleTitleUnderstanding self-report bias in organizational behaviour research Journal of Business and Psychology 17 245–260 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1019637632584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. T. Faranda (2001) ArticleTitleA scale to measure the cognitive control form of perceived control: Construction and preliminary assessment Psychology and Marketing 18 1259–1281 Occurrence Handle10.1002/mar.1052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. G. Fischer C. Fick (1993) ArticleTitleMeasuring social desirability: Short forms of the Marlowe–Crowne social desirability scale Educational and Psychological Measurement 53 417–424

    Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Fisher (2000) ArticleTitleThe future of social-desirability bias research in marketing Psychology and Marketing 17 73–77 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(200002)17:2<73::AID-MAR1>3.0.CO;2-L

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L. R. Flynn R. E. Goldsmith (1999) ArticleTitleA short, reliable measure of subjective knowledge Journal of Business Research 46 57–66 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0148-2963(98)00057-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Fraboni D. Cooper (1989) ArticleTitleFurther validation of the three short forms of the Marlowe–Crowne scale of social desirability Psychological Reports 65 595–600

    Google Scholar 

  • M. L. Friedman G. A. Churchill (1987) ArticleTitleUsing consumer perceptions and a contingency approach to improve health care delivery Journal of Consumer Research 13 492–510 Occurrence Handle10.1086/209083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. C. Ganster H. W., Hennessy F. Luthan (1983) ArticleTitleSocial desirability response effects: Three alternative models Academy of Management Journal 26 321–331

    Google Scholar 

  • R. T. Golembiewski R. Munzenrider (1975) ArticleTitleSocial desirability as an intervening variable in interpreting OD effects Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 11 317–332

    Google Scholar 

  • J. F. Hair R. L. Anderson Tatham W.C. Black (1998) Multivariate data analysis EditionNumber5th Edition Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Hattie (1985) ArticleTitleMethodology review: Assessing unidimensionality of tests and items Applied Psychological Measurement 9 139–164

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Jobber H., Mirza K. H. Wee (1991) ArticleTitleIncentives and response rates to cross-national business surveys: A logit model analysis Journal of International Business Studies 22 711–721 Occurrence Handle10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490852

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. F. Kaiser (1974) ArticleTitleAn index of factorial simplicity Psychometrika 39 31–36

    Google Scholar 

  • M. F. King G. C. Bruner (2000) ArticleTitleSocial desirability bias: A neglected aspect of validity testing Psychology and Marketing 17 79–103 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(200002)17:2<79::AID-MAR2>3.0.CO;2-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. C. Liden J. M. Maslyn (1998) ArticleTitleMultidimensionality of leader-member exchange: An empirical assessment through scale development Journal of Management 24 43–72 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0149-2063(99)80053-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Loo K. Thorpe (2000) ArticleTitleConfirmatory factor analyses of the full and short versions of the Marlowe–Crowne social desirability scale Journal of Social Psychology 140 628–635 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3crgvVGjuw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle11059209

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • S. Messick (1960) ArticleTitleDimensions of social desirability Journal of Consulting Psychology 24 279–287

    Google Scholar 

  • D. G. Mick (1996) ArticleTitleAre studies of dark side variables confounded by socially desirable responding? The case of materialism Journal of Consumer Research 23 106–119 Occurrence Handle10.1086/209470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Millham L. I. Jacobson (1978) The need for approval H. London J. E. Exner SuffixJr. (Eds) Dimensions of personality Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • R. K. Mitchell B. Smith K. W. Seawright E. A. Morse (2000) ArticleTitleCross-cultural cognitions and the venture creation decision Academy of Management Journal 43 974–993

    Google Scholar 

  • T. R. Mitchell (1985) ArticleTitleAn evaluation of the validity of correlational research conducted in organization Academy of Management Review 10 192–205

    Google Scholar 

  • R. H. Moorman P. M. Podsakoff (1992) ArticleTitleA meta-analytic review and empirical test of the potential confounding effects of social desirability response tests in organizational behaviour research Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 65 131–149

    Google Scholar 

  • J. C. Nunnally (1978) Psychometric theory EditionNumber2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D. L. Paulhus (1984) ArticleTitleTwo component models of socially desirable responding Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46 598–609 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0022-3514.46.3.598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. L. Paulhus (1991) Measurement and control of response bias J. P. Robinson P. R. Shaver L. S. Wrightsman (Eds) Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes NumberInSeriesVol. 1 Academic Press San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • P. M. Podsakoff & D. Dalton (1987) ArticleTitleResearch methodology in organizational studies Journal of Management 13 419–441

    Google Scholar 

  • P. M. Podsakoff D. W. Organ (1986) ArticleTitleSelf-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects Journal of Management 12 531–544

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Poppo T. Zenger (2002) ArticleTitleDo formal contracts and relational governance function as substitutes or complements? Strategic Management Journal 23 707–25 Occurrence Handle10.1002/smj.249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. V. Ramanaiah H. J. Martin (1980) ArticleTitleOn the two-dimensional nature of the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale Journal of Personality Assessment 44 507–515

    Google Scholar 

  • N. V. Ramanaiah T. Schill L. S. Leung (1977) ArticleTitleA test of the hypothesis about the two-dimensional nature of the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale Journal of Research in Personality 11 251–259 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0092-6566(77)90022-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. M. Reynolds (1982) ArticleTitleDevelopment of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale Journal of Clinical Psychology 38 119–125

    Google Scholar 

  • M. L. Richins C. Dawson (1992) ArticleTitleA consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation Journal of Consumer Research 19 303–316 Occurrence Handle10.1086/209304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. P. Robinson P. R. Shaver (1973) Measures of social psychological attitudes Ann Arbor Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • J. P. Robinson P. R., Shaver L. S. Wrightsman (1991) Criteria for scale selection and evaluation J. P. Robinson P. R. Shaver L. S. Wrightsman (Eds) Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes Academic Press San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • C. A. Schriesheim (1979) ArticleTitleSocial desirability and leader effectiveness Journal of Social Psychology 108 89–94

    Google Scholar 

  • D. P. Schwab (1980) Construct validity in organizational behavior B. M. Staw L. L. Cummings (Eds) Research in organizational behavior JAI Press Greenwich, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • P. E. Spector (1987) ArticleTitleMethod variance as an artifact in self-reported affect and perceptions at work: Myth or significant problem? Journal of Applied Psychology 72 438–443 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0021-9010.72.3.374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Strahan K. C. Gerbasi (1972) ArticleTitleShort, homogeneous versions of the Marlow–Crowne (sic) social desirability scale Journal of Clinical Psychology 28 191–193

    Google Scholar 

  • E. R. Thompson F. T. T. Phua (2005) ArticleTitleAre national cultural traits applicable to senior firm managers British Journal of Management 16 59–68 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00430.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. A. Wagner SuffixIII M. K. Moch (1986) ArticleTitleIndividualism–Collectivism: Concept and Measure Group and Organization Studies 11 280–304

    Google Scholar 

  • W. J. Zerbe D. L. Paulhus (1987) ArticleTitleSocially desirable responding in organizational behavior: A reconception Academic of Management Review 12 250–264

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Management, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, 1-1 Jumonjibaru, Oita 874 8577, Beppu, Japan

    Edmund R. Thompson

  2. Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, U.K

    Florence T. T. Phua

Authors
  1. Edmund R. Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Florence T. T. Phua
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edmund R. Thompson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thompson, E.R., Phua, F.T.T. Reliability among Senior Managers of the Marlowe–Crowne Short-Form Social Desirability Scale. J Bus Psychol 19, 541–554 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-4524-4

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-005-4524-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation