Susceptibility to Faking of a Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development

Abstract

Effects of faking on a sentence completion test. of ego development, explored in five experiments, partially confirmed the developmental hypothesis that persons can lower their ego level test scores but not increase them. When faking high on retest, subjects scores either stayed the same or increased by about a half step. Only intensive study of ego development seemed genuinely to increase scores. When faking a bad impression or a low ego level, subjects' scores decreased, typically to the pre-Conformist level. Unexpectedly, attempts to make a good impression lowered high scores, especially for women, Because the test is susceptible to factors which can artificially lower scores, careful planning and evaluation of testing conditions must accompany test use.