Individual differences in cheating during a temptation period when confronting failure.

Abstract

The effects of social desirability, need for social approval, self-satisfaction, and sex differences on the tendency to cheat when confronted with failure were investigated. Subjects were placed in a temptation situation in which they failed to meet social norms unless they cheated during a temptation period in which it appeared that cheating would be undetected. The two groups that were found to demonstrate the most extensive cheating were women scoring high on the self-satisfaction measure and subjects scoring high simultaneously on both the need for approval and self-satisfaction measures. Generally, men were not found to cheat significantly. It was found also that men demonstrated a greater expectancy of success and a higher level of aspiration than women, and that high scorers on the social desirability scale demonstrated a greater expectancy of success than low scorers.

It's Wrong, But Everybody Does It: Academic Dishonesty among High School and College Students

“…Also, research in other countries, such as South Africa, has shown a similar sex difference, with male students cheating more than female students (Burns, Davis, Hoshino, & Miller, 1998). From a cultural point of view, however, it is noteworthy that the results pertaining to sex differences on academic dishonesty have not been consistent in research with American students in that some studies have found that American female students cheat as much as or more so than American male students (Graham et al, 1994;Jacobson et al, 1970;Karabenick & Srull, 1978). Also, cross-cultural research has indicated that Japanese female students report engaging in more cheating than Japanese male students (Burns et al, 1998).…”

“…Others have found that female students engage in more academic dishonesty than male students (e.g., Graham et al, 1994;Jacobson, Berger, & Millham, 1970). Most studies, however, find that male students engage in more cheating than female students (e.g., Baird, 1980;Cochran et al, 1998;Davis et al, 1992;Hetherington & Feldman, 1964;Kelly & Worrell, 1978;Roth & McCabe, 1995).…”

A Model of Faking Likelihood in the Employment Interview

“…As a result, high need for approval is associated with generally high impression management (Millham & Kellog, 1980). For example, Jacobson, Berger, and Millham (1970) found that people with a high need for approval cheated more extensively during a temptation period when confronting failure. People who self-monitor have an acute sensitivity to the cues in a situation that indicate what expression or selfpresentation is appropriate and what is not (Snyder, 1974).…”

Rethinking Social Desirability Scales

“…Evidence on the extent to which IM is associated with cheating is equivocal at best. Although there are studies that associate IM with cheating (Lobel & Levanon, 1988;Millham, 1974), there appears to be stronger evidence that an IM-cheating link is either negative (Kashy & DePaulo, 1996;Lanyon & Drotar, 1968) or simply nonexistent (Eid & Diener, 2006;Jacobson, Berger, & Millham, 1970;Schmitt et al, 2003;H.L. Smith, 1997).…”