The Effect of Response Bias on the Personality Inventory for DSM–5 (PID–5)

A Critique Paper Presented to

Mr. Desiderio Camitan of 

College of Arts and Sciences Department

Manila Tytana Colleges

Malahito, Raine Keisha

Bachelor of Science in Psychology 

November 2022
 It is necessary to abide by a number of research ethics in order to carry out scientific

research. When people are asked to fill out questionnaires and surveys, it is essential for us as

researchers to know that they are being truthful. Even so, some of the people we talk to or

interview provide us with information that is inaccurate or false. When a person who is filling

out a self-reporting survey is convinced to give false answers, this phenomenon, which is

referred to as "response bias," occurs. People give the incorrect answer for a variety of reasons,

including not understanding the question, misreading it, not wanting to tell the truth, or wanting

to appear successful in front of other people. The term "response bias" refers to the phenomenon

in which the data that were collected are found to be inaccurate, which in turn renders the results

less reliable and valid. Response bias can take many forms, such as when an individual is unable

to comprehend the question being asked. They won't be able to make the connection, so they'll

choose the incorrect answer. Response bias occurs when an individual provides an incorrect

response to a question because they do not wish to provide an honest response.

The journal Personality and Individual Differences published their article, titled "The

Effect of Response Bias on the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5)." Mcgee et al. conduct

research to establish if self-reporting is a reliable method for measuring psychopathology. This

study investigates the possibility of bias in the PID 5 self-report instrument, which is utilized to

determine a patient's diagnosis and the most effective treatment. Researchers seek out individuals

who either overshare or undershare their experiences, then write about their perspectives.

Moreover, they provide responses that are rational and reasonable (CR). Researchers sought

participation from 1,587 unique college students for their study. This group was composed of

574 men and 1,004 women. Only two individuals came forward with statements. In this study,

researchers employed both the DSM-5 Personality Inventory and the MMPI-2 Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Restricted Form. In their study, participants were required to

complete both the MMPI-2 and PID-5 questionnaires. Examining the test-takers' responses for

errors that could render the items useless. People claim that the OR group performed better on

the PID-5 than the CR group and the UR group.

This article possesses a number of strengths, the first of which is the ability of the

researchers to recruit participants from universities located all across the United States and one

university in Canada. In addition, psychiatric patients and students participated in the study as

participants. This is beneficial to the research because it enables an examination of how each

participant interacts with their surrounding environment in relation to where they are located.

Some of them can be found in Canada, the Midwest of the United States, and the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to the people who participated in the study, another one of its strengths is the clear

explanation and in-depth discussion it provides. It was mentioned in the introduction that the

developers of PID-5 did not assess response bias using validity scales. This information was

provided. It was possible for the clinical study to produce inaccurate results because there were

no validity scales to measure them against. This will make it clear to the audience what the most

important takeaway from the study is. The researchers also discussed their research objectives,

which included their belief that response bias influences the construction and arrangement of

PID-5 scales. One of these objectives was "to determine whether or not response bias influences

the construction of PID-5 scales." To put it another way, they want a different method to

compare the components of the three different groups of PID-5 scales. In addition, they

mentioned that the validity scales of the MMPI-2 could be utilized to detect response bias with

greater precision, which is yet another strength of the study. [Citation needed] In the section on

data analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVAs) and simple linear regression were
the primary statistical tools utilized (ANOVA). From the introduction all the way through the

explanation of the author's own interpretation based on the results, this paper provides a more

critical tone while presenting multiple interpretations of the data. This investigation is complex

and demonstrates both critical and reflective thinking on the part of the investigator. The PID-5

Scale, as well as the mean and the standard deviation, are all included in the presentation of the

data. Researchers provide a description of each sample in each table of data. This research

demonstrates that response bias can have an effect on PID-5, and it can provide useful

information for investigations in the future.

Even though this was one of the study's limitations, the researchers made the regrettable

decision not to administer individual tests to each participant. Students and those receiving

treatment for mental illness in psychiatric hospitals have been grouped together, and as a result,

they are now regarded as a single entity. Both of these groups had different experiences while

participating in the research, allowing them to draw different conclusions about the study's

findings. Despite the fact that the MMPI-2 provides accurate results for response bias, the

researchers may consider using a different instrument to measure validity scales, which is

another limitation of the study. In other words, the researchers may investigate the use of an

alternative instrument. This is because the MMPI-2 produces accurate results when evaluating

response bias.
 Reference

Sarah A. McGee Ng, R. Michael Bagby, Brandee E. Goodwin, Danielle Burchett, Martin

Sellbom, Lindsay E. Ayearst, Sonya Dhillon, Shirley Yiu, Yossef S. Ben-Porath & Spencer Baker

(2016) The Effect of Response Bias on the Personality Inventory for DSM–5 (PID–5), Journal of

Personality Assessment, 98:1, 51-61, DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2015.1096791