An assessment of the argumentativeness scale for social desirability bias

An investigation of the relationship between the argumentativeness scale and judgments of its social desirability was conducted. Past research indicating that higher argumentativeness scores are associated with males and those with argumentation training is supported. However, when the variance in argumentativeness that can be attributed to social desirability is removed, the difference between the sexes diminishes. Following an item‐by‐item analysis of sex differences in social desirability, it is concluded that sex differences on the argumentativeness scale may be attributable in part to social desirability bias. Future research exploring the relationship of the scale with social desirability is advocated, and implications for the use of the scale are discussed.