Towards a theory of applicant faking: Integrating studies of deception

Research on applicant faking has generally employed group comparison designs in order to investigate the prevalence and effects of intentional response distortion on noncognitive selection tests. Unfortunately, these studies do not tell us which applicants are most likely to successfully fake their responses or the situational conditions which are most likely to induce excessive faking. In an effort to understand individual differences in intentional response distortion, an interactional model of applicant faking is proposed. Because successful faking requires both a motivation to fake the test and the ability to fake, the situational and dispositional factors influencing these facets are described. Where possible, research from the faking literature is used to verify the model. Studies of academic cheating, employee theft, deception and antisocial behavior are also presented in order to provide empirical support for the proposed model.