Date of Award

January 2019

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Adam L. Lawson

Department Affiliation

Psychology

Second Advisor

Sara Incera

Department Affiliation

Psychology

Third Advisor

Jerry K. Palmer

Department Affiliation

Psychology

Abstract

Everyday Deception is an important aspect of life, yet a dearth of research has examined the influence of the Big 5 personality traits and Sensation Seeking tendencies on an individual’s likelihood to engage in Everyday Deception. While previous research has investigated the relationships between the Big 5 and deception as well as Sensation Seeking and deception, no prior research has looked at the combined effects of these personality traits. The purpose of this study is to clarify and extend prior research examining personality factors that index the nature and extent of Everyday Deception. It was hypothesized that 1) Sensation Seeking tendencies would be positively correlated with Everyday Deception, 2) the Big 5 traits of Extraversion and Openness to Experience would be positively related to Everyday Deception, and 3) Sensation Seeking, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience would positively predict Everyday Deception. One hundred and seventy-three participants responded to a battery of questionnaires that measured personality and frequency of deceptive behaviors as well as attitudes toward criminally deceptive actions. Higher Sensation Seeking tendencies were correlated to Everyday Deception. There were no significant correlations regarding the Big 5. In regard to the predictive nature of personality, the only trait that significantly predicted Everyday Deception was the Sensation Seeking subscale of Disinhibition.

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