Transient error in personality scores: Considering honest and faked responses

Despite the importance of reliability in personality assessment, little research has evaluated the influence of transient error on observed scores. In this study, we estimated transient error in scores from two personality measures and compared these estimates across honest and faking responding conditions. Results indicated that transient error was present in personality scores, with more transient error observed in faked responses. Consequently, the coefficient of equivalence (alpha) will overestimate the reliability of personality scores. Use of alpha will under-correct criterion-related validity coefficients and under-estimate the standard error of measurement. Results suggest these problems will be more severe when scores are affected by faking.