Prejudice-trait correlations could be artifacts of response style rather than real traits.

Evidence

The third January student study was prompted by John Duckitt, who wondered if the “nest” of SDO correlations was actually assembled by social desirability effects. Suppose some people are willing to admit bad things about themselves on a survey, but others are relatively reluctant to admit such, or are even unaware of them. If so, then responses to a collection of scales that raise sensitive issues will be glued together to some extent by this “willing-to-look-bad versus try-to-look-good” response style, whether the traits involved really are related. In this light, high SDOs may not be more prejudiced than others, nor more PP-Mad, E-MAD, accepting of rape myths, and so on, but merely less defensive. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1044 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The implications of McFarland and Adelson’s discovery, should it reappear in other populations and with other measures, overpower one. For if you want to explain the many kinds of prejudice exposed in this situation, they are largely matters of personality. And only two kinds of personality are basically involved: the social dominator and the rightwing authoritarian. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 953 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Survey correlations between prejudice scales may be inflated by response style, not real relationships — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1044; Agree-response bias can inflate prejudice scale scores artificially; Most prejudice reduces to two personality types — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 953 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Survey correlations between prejudice scales may be inflated by response style, not real relationships #corroborates (1.00) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1044
• Agree-response bias can inflate prejudice scale scores artificially #expands (0.95)
• Most prejudice reduces to two personality types #complicates (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 953