I__. - International Military Testing Association

Response Distortion on the Adaptability Screening Profile (ASP)’
Dale R. Palmer, Leonard A. White, and Mark C. Young
U. S. Army Research Institute
Alexandria, VA
INTRODUCTION
The Armed Services are considering the implementation of a biodata/temperament instrument,
the Adaptability Screening Profile (ASP), to supplement education credentials as a predictor of first term
attrition. A key problem in utilizing instruments like Ihe ASP, especially in the “en masse” screening
medium of the Armed Services, concerns the potential for ttem response distortion of the self-report
information, and consequently, invalidation of the instrument over time (Walker, 1985). Previous research
on the Armed Services Applicant Profile (ASAP) and the Assessment of Background and Life
Experiences (ABLE), both components of the ASP, indicates that these instruments are susceptible t0
intentional distortion in the desired iirection of the examinee (Hough, 1987; Trent, Atwater, & Abraham%
1986). Thus, it is possib!z that wid6,pread distortion could occur in a service applicant setting,
particularly if ..lz\e,notlnc 5 f--Juraged. Guidelines may be written that “coach” applicants on how to
do well on the test, ana recruiters, in order to meet quotas, might encourage or even train applicants to
respond in a particular manner (Hanson, Hallam, & Hough, 1989).
Prior to the research presented in this paper, we used a sample of 324 receptees to conduct a
preliminary analysis of the effects of coaching on the ASP. With the assistance of military personnel, we
developed a short script intended to represent “realistic” coaching that might be given to an applicant.
The coaching taught examinees how to describe themselves in order to score well on the test. They
were also warned that the instrument contained items to detect socially desirable responding and
therefore not to answer in ways that could not possibly be true. As expected, we found that examinees
can, when asked, distort their responses to the ASP in a socially desirable direction. Unexpectedly,
however, the scores of examinees who were coached and warned about faking did not differ significantly
from those who were responding honestly. One explanation for this result is that the warning effectively
counteracted the coaching.
The research reported here was designed to replicate and extend these findings. Specifically, to
separate the effects of coaching and warnings about detection, one group received coaching on
“correct” responding without being warned about possible detection and a second coached group was
warned about faking detection. In addition, we examined the usefulness of the ABLE’s Validity scale to
correctly detect those respondents who were instructed or coached to distort their responses in a
socially desirable direction.
Subiects
METHOD
Five-hundred and two male receptees were administered the ASP at the U.S. Army Reception
Battalion, Ft. Sill, OK. ihe receptees were tested in eight groups of 14-105. Participants were informed
that the purpose of the research was to learn how different test-taking strategies affect scores on the
ASP.
t Presenfed at the meeting of the Military Testing Association, November, 1990. All statements expressed in this Paper are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions or policies of the U.S. Army Research Institute
or the Department of the Army.
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