Behind the Scenes of Faking : Investigating Faking Strategies on Self reports in Questionnaires at Different Stages of the Cognitive Process in Faking

Although faking is a serious problem in psychological assessment, previous research has focused on modeling, detecting, or preventing faking but has largely failed to uncover faking strategies. Here, we used empirical data and the general response process model (GRPM; four stages: comprehension, retrieval, judgment, and response) to suggest a taxonomy of faking strategies. We reanalyzed data from two studies that examined the faking of low and high scores on extraversion and need for cognition scales (Data Set 1; N = 305) or an extraversion scale (Data Set 2; N = 251). Participants were asked to explain exactly what they did to fake. Responses (N = 553) were analyzed with qualitative content analyses. The resulting taxonomy included 22 global and 13 specific faking strategies that could be organized into four clusters and sorted along the four stages of the GRPM. The taxonomy was developed with one data set and tested with an independent one (Data Sets 1 or 2), and the strategies held irrespective of faking direction (high or low) and construct (extraversion or need for cognition), thus supporting the generalizability of the taxonomy. The results showed that respondents used a variety of strategies during faking (e.g., role-playing strategies and strategies to avoid being detected) and combined them in multiple ways. The findings provide insights into the process of faking and explain why faking detection and prevention is such a complex and difficult endeavor. Thus, the results may offer a starting point for more success in detecting and preventing faking.