Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale - Short Form (MCSDS-SF)

The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale - Short Form (MCSDS-SF) is a short 13-item version of the original MCSDS that measures the propensity for socially desirable responses. Of these 13 items, 5 are formulated as socially desirable (true) and 6 as socially undesirable (false). These are short and simple statements for which the respondent is asked to decide whether or not they are true for him/her.

Length of completion

The entire questionnaire takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete.

Individualized feedback for the respondent

After completing the questionnaire, the experimental subject will find out whether or not he/she is prone to socially desirable responses.

Keywords

Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale - Short Form, MCSDS-SF, social desirability

Scoring and interpretation

The total score is obtained by summing the scores of all items. Items 5, 7, 9, 10 and 13 are reversed. Higher scores indicate a greater tendency toward socially desirable responses.

Response Scale

Respondents indicate whether the statements are true (T=1) or false (L=2) for them.

References

Lavidas, K., & Gialamas, V. (2019). Adaptation and psychometric properties of the short forms Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale with a sample of Greek university students. European Journal of Education Studies, 6(8), 230-239. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3552531

Reynolds, W. M. (1982). Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Clinical Psychology, 38(1), 119-125. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232465362_Development_of_reliable_and_valid_short_forms_of_the_Marlow-Crowne_Social_Desirability_Scale

Reynolds, W. M. (2015). Copy of cmsds Short Form and scoring instructions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280938637_Copy_of_cmsds_Short_Form_and_scoring_instructions