a set of items within a psychological instrument (particularly a personality assessment) used to indicate whether a respondent has been truthful in answering. For example, an honest participant would respond similarly to the items “I never regret the life decisions I have made” and “I’ve never done anything I later wished I could take back,” which are different ways of presenting the same concept. Conversely, a respondent trying to present himself or herself as positively as possible might answer such related questions inconsistently.