Final answer:
The statement is true; test-takers often attempt to present themselves favorably on self-report inventories due to social desirability bias, affecting the validity of the results. This holds particularly true in situations like job applications where it is advantageous to appear highly suitable for the role.
Step-by-step explanation:
The issue being addressed concerns the phenomenon of social desirability bias within self-report inventories. This refers to a situation where individuals, during assessments or surveys, may intentionally or unintentionally provide responses that they perceive as socially acceptable or favorable. A classic example is in personality testing for job applications, where candidates might overstate their positive traits to appear more suited for the position. Thus, the statement that a test-taker tends to present themselves in a socially desirable way on a self-report inventory is true.
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is an example of a self-report inventory that attempts to mitigate this bias through various means, including the use of validity scales. The validity of self-report measures can be impacted by the presence of social desirability bias, prompting researchers and practitioners to interpret the results with caution and seek supporting evidence from other types of assessments or sources.