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Abstract
The present study examined the degree to which test-taking motivation influences use of impression management (IM) on overt integrity test items. One hundred forty-eight college students (43 males and 105 females) participated in exchange for extra class credit. Motivation was manipulated to form high and low motivation groups. Each participant completed a modified version of a paper-and-pencil employment-based overt integrity measure by Ryan and Sackett (1987), followed by a self-report Impression Management Checklist. Results indicated that participants infrequently engaged in IM, independent of motivation. Similarly, there was little variability in the use of IM across various overt integrity item types. Finally, test scores were unrelated to IM or motivation. Possible explanations for these surprising findings are discussed.
