AUTHOR=Roma Paolo , Verrocchio Maria C. , Mazza Cristina , Marchetti Daniela , Burla Franco , Cinti Maria E. , Ferracuti Stefano 

TITLE=Could Time Detect a Faking-Good Attitude? A Study With the MMPI-2-RF

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01064

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01064

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background and Purpose:</bold> Research on the relationship between response latency (RL) and faking in self-administered testing scenarios have generated contradictory findings. We explored this relationship further, aiming to add further insight into the reliability of self-report measures. We compared RLs and T-scores on the MMPI-2-RF (validity and restructured clinical [RC] scales) in four experimental groups. Our hypotheses were that: the Fake-Good Speeded group would obtain a different completion time; show higher RLs than the Honesty Speeded Group in the validity scales; show higher T-Scores in the L-r and K-r scales and lower T-scores in the F-r and RC scales; and show higher levels of tension and fatigue. Finally, the impact of the speeded condition in malingering was assessed.</p><p><bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> The sample was comprised of 135 subjects (<italic>M</italic> = 26.64; <italic>SD</italic> = 1.88 years old), all of whom were graduates (having completed at least 17 years of instruction), male, and Caucasian. Subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: Honesty Speeded, Fake-Good Speeded, Honesty Un-Speeded, and Fake-Good Un-Speeded. A software version of the MMPI-2-RF and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were administered. To test the hypotheses, MANOVAs and binomial logistic regressions were run.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Significant differences were found between the four groups, and particularly between the Honest and Fake-Good groups in terms of test completion time and the L-r and K-r scales. The speeded condition increased T-scores in the L-r and K-r scales but decreased T-scores in some of the RC scales. The Fake groups also scored higher on the VAS Tension subscale. Completion times for the first and second parts of the MMPI-2-RF and T-scores for the K-r scale seemed to predict malingering.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The speeded condition seemed to bring out the malingerers. Limitations include the sample size and gender bias.</p>