Detecting ‘faking bad’ on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales

Individuals who fake bad on psychological tests can potentially distort the validity of the test scores which are obtained. Furthermore in so doing those individuals may derive instrumental gain in certain forensic and clinical contexts. Little is known of the ability of interviewees to fake bad on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS’s) and this study sought to investigate the degree to which this could be achieved. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups – Standard Procedure, Test Aware and Faking Bad. Performance levels were compared both among groups and with established population norms. The findings support the view that the participants who were attempting to fake bad on the GSS were successful in doing so on the principal suggestibility measures of the test. However they also indicate that there may be potential in coding for additional information which can reveal ‘red-flags’ with which to unmask the interviewees attempting to fake-bad.