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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2007 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Testing with either Level 1 or Level 3 questions increased lure answers on the final test, from 2% in the nontested condition to 9% and 11% respectively. → 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? · causal · r2

In the same level-of-question experiment, testing with either definitional or application multiple-choice questions increased lure answers on the final test relative to the nontested condition; the authors state changing the question level did not change the memorial consequences of testing; no standardized effect size is printed.

"Only 2% of new questions were answered with lures, but 9% and 11% of questions previously tested in Level 1 and Level 3 multiple-choice questions, respectively, were later answered with multiple-choice lures."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Incorrect information learned from a multiple-choice test is applied and reasoned with on conceptually related transfer questions — related
• Multiple-choice testing increases the later production of multiple-choice lures as answers on cued recall tests, even under warning against guessing — related
• Immediate feedback reduces multiple-choice lure production on later tests, and the overall positive effect of testing outweighs negative consequences — related
• Feedback on a multiple-choice test sharply reduces lure intrusions on a later cued recall test, with immediate and delayed schedules equally effective — related
• 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
• Providing feedback after initial multiple-choice tests cut lure intrusions on final short-answer tests roughly in half, with immediate and delayed feedback equally effective — related
• Taking a multiple-choice test boosts performance on later tests compared with nontested control conditions, including with complex SAT II materials — related
• Practice testing yields transferrable learning relative to a nontesting reexposure control condition (d = 0.40) — related
• Cued-recall testing can impair later memory for competitive, related but non-practiced information (retrieval-induced forgetting) — related
• Multiple-choice testing improves later cued recall of prose facts, a benefit that persists though reduced after a one-week delay — related