The Influence of Self‐Monitoring on Inflation of Grade‐Point Averages for Research and Selection Purposes1

The present study investigated the tendency to inflate self‐reports of GPAs on application forms and research surveys. The major purpose of the research was to examine the consistency of inflation behavior across situations and determine whether self‐monitoring moderates this consistency. Two hundred and twenty‐six graduating seniors reported their GPAs on application forms used at a university's placement office and 1 month later reported their GPAs on a research survey in a classroom setting. Respondents’ self‐monitoring and attitude toward inflation were also measured on the survey. Results indicated that inflation was more prevalent on the research survey than on application forms and low GPA respondents exhibited greater inflation than did high GPA respondents. Furthermore, inflation across situations was more consistent and could be better predicted by inflation attitudes for low self‐monitors than for high self‐monitors. Implications for impression management and self‐reports in employment contexts are discussed.