Trait anxiety, social desirability and cross-situational variability

Measures of trait anxiety, social desirability, and cross-situational variability were obtained with both self-reports and ratings. There was a highly significant positive correlation between self-reported and rated cross-situational variability. High trait anxiety and low social desirability were associated with high self-reported cross-situational variability. However, neither trait anxiety nor social desirability was associated with rated cross-situational variability. Reasons for the discrepancy between the findings with self-report and rating data are discussed.