Tipsters:
The thread on "C" thought me thinking about ways to remove non-valid
"cues" on multiple choice exams. What follows is a short list of things
I try to avoid. I'd be curious to know if others have worked on this
issue as well.
Avoid style mismatch: E.g. "The cell body of a neuron is called a
(1) soma (2) axon (3) dendrite .." a guesser can eliminate (2) because
"a axon" Therefore use " a/an".
Equate length of answers: Make sure they are all of similiar length
(at very least, make sure length of answer is uncorrelated with truth
value).
Avoid obvious wrong answers. "Most psychologists agree the best way
to raise children is to (1) beat them every day whether they deserve it
or not (2) let them write on the walls (3) establish rules, but, be
flexible ..". Even people who haven't purchased the textbook can
eliminate (1) and (2). I have seen choices almost as absurd on others'
exams.
Avoid aving too many of any one letter correct.
Avoid the "gambler's fallacy" - resist the temptation to avoid
repetition. The exact sequence a-a-a is just as likely as b-c-a (even
though the latter _looks_ more random). It's easy to pull a-b-c-d slips
from a hat.
Break expectations students have developed. If you have sereral
answers in a row that have the same possible answers, it's OK to have
the same answer more than once. E.g. "Teaching rats to press levers to
obtain food rewad is an example of (1) operant conditioning (2)
classical conditioning (3) habituation". Most students will assume that
if (1) is correct, it can be eliminated on the next question which might
read "Teaching autistic children to have manners with verbal rewards is
an exampe of ..". and so forth. I once did an exam where the answers
were (1) hypothalamus (2) thalamus (3) corpus callosum (4) cerebellum. I
had "hypotlamus" correct 3 times in succession.
In the limiting case, we'd expect "chance" to be 25% for a 4 choice
exam, and we could defend a curve that had D >= 25%. That seems
outrageous, but not when all non-valid cues are removed.
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John W. Kulig [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology http://oz.plymouth.edu
Plymouth State College tel: (603) 535-2468
Plymouth NH USA 03264 fax: (603) 535-2412
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"The only rational way of educating is to be an example - if
one can't help it, a warning example." A. Einstein, 1934.
