Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding – Version 6 (BIDR-6)
Measures two constructs of socially desirable responding: self-deceptive positivity (honest but positively biased self-reports) and impression management (deliberate self-presentation).
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding – Version 6 (BIDR-6) was developed by Delroy L. Paulhus (1988). It is designed to measure Socially Desirable Responding. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Self-Deceptive Enhancement, Impression Management.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Deceptive Enhancement | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20 | 20 |
| Impression Management | 21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 | 20 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not True, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = Somewhat True, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = Very True.
The scale includes 20 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low socially desirable responding style: 0 – 5
- Moderate socially desirable responding style: 6 – 12
- High socially desirable responding style: 13 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of SDE alpha: .68-.80, IM alpha: .75-.86, Total alpha: .83.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.