Feedback enhances the positive effects and reduces the negative effects of multiple-choice testing

Multiple-choice tests are used frequently in higher education without much consideration of the impact this form of assessment has on learning. Multiple-choice testing enhances retention of the material tested (the testing effect); however, unlike other tests, multiple-choice can also be detrimental...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMemory & cognition Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 604 - 616
Main Authors Butler, Andrew C., Roediger, Henry L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer-Verlag 01.04.2008
Psychonomic Society
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Achievement tests
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Choice Behavior
Cognitive Psychology
College students
Cues
Educational psychology
False information
Feedback
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Higher education
Humans
Knowledge
Learning
Memory
Mental Recall
Psychological Tests
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopedagogics. Didactics
Retention
Retention (Psychology)
Students
Studies
Prior Stud
Feedback Condition
Khmer Rouge
Report Phase
Correct Response
Human
Choice
Memory
Feedback regulation
Cognition
Experimental study
Student
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0090-502X
1532-5946
DOI10.3758/MC.36.3.604

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Summary:Multiple-choice tests are used frequently in higher education without much consideration of the impact this form of assessment has on learning. Multiple-choice testing enhances retention of the material tested (the testing effect); however, unlike other tests, multiple-choice can also be detrimental because it exposes students to misinformation in the form of lures. The selection of lures can lead students to acquire false knowledge (Roediger & Marsh, 2005). The present research investigated whether feedback could be used to boost the positive effects and reduce the negative effects of multiple-choice testing. Subjects studied passages and then received a multiplechoice test with immediate feedback, delayed feedback, or no feedback. In comparison with the no-feedback condition, both immediate and delayed feedback increased the proportion of correct responses and reduced the proportion of intrusions (i.e., lure responses from the initial multiple-choice test) on a delayed cued recall test. Educators should provide feedback when using multiple-choice tests.
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ISSN:0090-502X
1532-5946
DOI:10.3758/MC.36.3.604