MEASURING SOCIAL DESIRABILITY IN COLLECTIVIST COUNTRIES: A PSYCHOMETRIC STUDY IN A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE FROM KAZAKHSTAN
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Date
2022
Authors
Nurumov, Kaidar
Hernández-Torrano, Daniel
Mhamed, Ali Ait Si
Ospanova, Ulzhan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers in Psychology
Abstract
Social desirability bias (SDB) is a pervasive measurement challenge in the social
sciences and survey research. More clarity is needed to understand the performance
of social desirability scales in diverse groups, contexts, and cultures. The present study
aims to contribute to the international literature on social desirability measurement by
examining the psychometric performance of a short version of the Marlowe-Crowne
Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS) in a nationally representative sample of teachers in
Kazakhstan. A total of 2,461 Kazakhstani teachers completed the MCSDS – Form
C in their language of choice (i.e., Russian or Kazakh). The results failed to support
the theoretical unidimensionality of the original scale. Instead, the results of Random
Intercept Item Factor Analysis model suggest that the scale answers depend more on
the method factor rather than the substantial factor that represents SDB. In addition,
an alternative explanation indicates that the scale seems better suited to measuring
two SDB correlated factors: attribution and denial. Internal consistency coefficients
demonstrated unsatisfactory reliability scores for the two factors. The Kazakhstani
version of the MCSDS – Form C was invariant across geographic location (i.e., urban
vs. rural), language (i.e., Kazakh vs. Russian), and partially across age groups. However,
no measurement invariance was demonstrated for gender. Despite these limitations,
the analysis of the Kazakhstani version of the MCSDS – Form C presented in this
study constitutes a first step in facilitating further research and measurement of SDB
in post-Soviet Kazakhstan and other collectivist countries.
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, social desirability bias, Marlowe-Crowne, MCSDS, validation, Kazakhstan, collectivist culture
Citation
Nurumov, K., Hernández-Torrano, D., Ait Si Mhamed, A., & Ospanova, U. (2022). Measuring Social Desirability in Collectivist Countries: A Psychometric Study in a Representative Sample From Kazakhstan. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.822931