Question

After reading the scenario and the choice answers, Brad answered that he would be the kind of person that would stop and help an elderly woman carry her groceries home because it was the answer that made him look the best. The error that could arise from Brad’s answer on a personality test is called __________.

A.
deliberate deception
B.
response bias
C.
social desirability bias
D.
response set

Answer 1

The answer to this question is

C. Social desirability bias

Answer 2

Answer: C. social desirability bias.

Social desirability bias occurs when a respondent of a survey changes his answers in order to appear socially acceptable. Therefore, the respondent over-reports good behaviour while under-reporting bad one. This is a serious problem for researchers, as it leaves them with inaccurate results.