Incorrect information learned from a multiple-choice test is applied and reasoned with on conceptually related transfer questions¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr2·q2
Currency · newest study 2007 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Selecting a lure on a multiple-choice question increased students' likelihood of later using that lure to answer a superficially dissimilar but conceptually related transfer question. → Marsh 2007
Evidence¶
Marsh 2007¶
Marsh, E. J., Roediger, H. L., III, Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2007). The memorial consequences of multiple-choice testing. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 194-199. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03194051
q2 · i? · review · r2
In the Bloom-level experiment, selecting a lure (e.g., gravitation) on an application question about acclimation increased later use of that lure on a conceptually similar but superficially dissimilar transfer question about animals thickening fur in winter; no effect size is printed.
"selecting a lure (e.g., gravitation) as the answer to a multiple-choice question such as “Allowing new fish to adjust slowly to tank water temperature is an example of what biological phenomenon?” increased students’ likelihood of later using that lure to answer a transfer question"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Taking initial multiple-choice tests without feedback can lead students to later produce the incorrect lure answers they selected, even when an overall retrieval practice benefit occurs — related
- Multiple-choice testing increases the later production of multiple-choice lures as answers on cued recall tests, even under warning against guessing — related
- Positive and negative testing effects occur for questions tapping higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy, and question level does not change the memorial consequences of testing — related
- Cued-recall testing can impair later memory for competitive, related but non-practiced information (retrieval-induced forgetting) — related
- Persistence of multiple-choice errors is driven by faulty reasoning that integrates the error into knowledge rather than by mere familiarity of lures — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
lures-transfer-erroneous-reasoning |
title |
Incorrect information learned from a multiple-choice test is applied and reasoned with on conceptually related transfer questions |
description |
Incorrect information learned from a multiple-choice test is applied and reasoned with on conceptually related transfer questions |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2007 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-16 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — marsh-2007 |
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