Noncompliant responding:Comparing exclusion criteria in MTurk personality research to improve data quality

Studies on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) often include check questions in personality inventories to ensure data quality. However, a subset of MTurk workers may give only meaningful responses to these checks while giving noncompliant responses to the other questions. We demonstrate in an analysis of five MTurk datasets using the statistical approach of Lee and Ashton (2018) that this selectively responsive subset can be detected on the HEXACO personality inventory. Our lower bound estimate is that at least 2% in each sample did not get caught with the check questions while giving noncompliant responses on the personality inventory. Overall, researchers who strive to remove noise due to noncompliant responding may benefit from complementing check questions with a statistical approach

Theoretical and practical considerations of using traditional and game-based assessments of honesty-humility

Honesty-humility is an important predictor for work behavior. However, this trait is rarely taken into consideration in personnel selection. In four studies, we investigate how honesty-humility can be measured using traditional and game-based methods (a gamified instrument and an assessment game) for personnel selection. In Study 1, we demonstrate that equating honesty-humility to integrity is justified as honesty-humility covers concepts generally associated with moral integrity. In Study 2, we show that power is important for the trait activation of honesty-humility. This study suggests that honesty-humility assessments are especially important for positions in which candidates are given a lot of power. Studies 3 and 4 describe the development and validation of game-based honesty-humility assessments. These studies support the construct validity of these game-based assessments based on convergence with self-reported honesty-humility. However, Study 3 shows that a gamified assessment is just as fakeable as self-reported personality inventories. Finally, Study 4 demonstrates the predictive and incremental validity of an assessment game above and beyond self-reported personality in the prediction of relevant outcomes. The results show that it is possible to reliably and validly assess honesty-humility using game-based methods.</p

Whom do we trust to lead us? effects of leaders’ dominance-based leadership, prestige-based leadership and physical formidability.

Drawing on evolutionary perspectives of leadership and hierarchy, we argue that hierarchical strategies and physical formidability of leaders affect followers’ trust. Specifically, prestige should increase trust, dominance should reduce trust and physical formidability should strengthen these effects. We tested these hypotheses in three experimental studies (total n = 1884), using survey and behavioral measures of trust. We found that a dominance-based leadership style consistently reduced trust in leaders whereas using a prestige-based leadership style consistently increased it. However, physical formidability didn’t moderate these effects, nor did it affect trust directly. Although more research seems needed to understand more fine-grained effects of physical formidability on different factors of trustworthiness, our results suggest that leadership styles are important predictors of how much leaders are trusted

Construct validity of a personality assessment game in a simulated selection situation and the moderating roles of the ability to identify criteria and dispositional insight

There is scant research on the validity of personality assessment games in selection situations. Therefore, in two experimental simulated selection studies, the construct validity of an assessment game developed to assess honesty-humility was tested. Both studies found no differences between a control condition and a simulated selection condition on honesty-humility game scores. Moreover, convergent and discriminant validity with self-reported personality were not affected by the manipulation. We obtained mixed evidence that individual differences in dispositional insight and the ability to identify criteria influenced the validity of the game. As the validity of the personality assessment game was not significantly affected in the simulated selection context, our findings may imply that well-designed personality assessment games can be used for high-stakes selection assessments

Masking and cancelation effects of HEXACO domains and facets in relation to work- and study-related burnout

Prior research has shown substantial relations between personality traits and burnout. However, this research has mainly focused on the relations with Big Five personality domains and therefore little is known regarding the relations with the HEXACO personality framework that includes a different conceptualization of affective traits (e.g., emotionality). Moreover, even less is known about the relations between the various burnout scales and personality facets that are subsumed under the six main personality domains. Specifically, such personality facets may differ in their relations with burnout subscales and therefore mask or even cancel each other out, resulting in lower or close to zero correlations at the domain level. Therefore, the current project investigated the masking and cancelation effects of the HEXACO facets and domains in relation to study-related burnout (Study 1, N = 151) and work-related burnout (Study 2, N = 796). The results show relatively consistent masking and cancelation effects of the anxiety facet of emotionality, the diligence facet of conscientiousness, and the social self-esteem and liveliness facets of extraversion in their correlations to the various burnout scales. Overall, the findings call for more consideration of specific personality facets in better understanding the relations between personality and burnout.</p

Construct and Predictive Validity of an Assessment Game to Measure Honesty–Humility

Research on commercial computer games has demonstrated that in-game behavior is related to the players’ personality profiles. However, this potential has not yet been fully utilized for personality assessments. Hence, we developed an applied (i.e., serious) assessment game to assess the Honesty–Humility personality trait. In two studies, we demonstrate that this game adequately assesses Honesty–Humility. In Study 1 (N = 116), we demonstrate convergent validity of the assessment game with self-reported Honesty–Humility and divergent validity with the other HEXACO traits and cognitive ability. In Study 2 (N = 287), we replicate the findings from Study 1, and also demonstrate that the assessment game shows incremental validity—beyond self-reported personality—in the prediction of cheating for financial gain, but not of counterproductive work and unethical behaviors. The findings demonstrate that assessment games are promising tools for personality measurement in applied contexts