THE EFFECTS OF REQUIRED ELABORATION OF ANSWERS TO BIODATA QUESTIONS
研究要求考生详细回答部分生物数据问题的影响，发现要求详细回答会降低分数，且这种影响会波及相邻题目，对减少社会期望反应有潜在价值。
The impact of a request that examinees elaborate on their answers to a subset of items in a biodata instrument was evaluated. Four forms of a test in which different subsets of items are elaborated were randomly administered to 4 groups of examinees taking a pilot form of a selection instrument for a civil service position. Results indicated significantly lower scores on items for which elaborations were requested than the items for which no elaborations were requested. Lower scores were also observed for nonelaborated items when these items were embedded among those that were elaborated, and lower scores were found when the elaborated items were presented only in the first half of the test. Although the results suggest that requiring elaborated answers may reduce scores on biodata items, several practical and theoretical questions should be investigated to determine the utility of this approach as a method of reducing socially desirable responding.