The Negative Suggestion Effect of the False Statement in the True-False Test

Abstract

In comparing the relative merits of the true-false and the essay examination it ap parently has not occurred to many writers that the true-false examination may exert a detrimental influence on the learner. The essay question depending on recall does not confront the examinee with conflicting mate rial, while the true-false question depend ing on recognition may conceivably confuse the mind of the student with false impres sions. Since most examinations come at the end of a unit of subject matter, such false impressions may, if uncorrected, counteract some of the work of the preceding instruc tion. In any case, no comprehensive ap praisal of the true-false examination can be made until the extent of a possible detri mental Influence has been established. It is the purpose of this article to deal with this problem by reporting some experiments designed to measure the negative suggestion effect of the true-false test. Myers found clear evidence of the per sistence of an initial error in arithmetic.1 He writes As far as habit process is con cerned there is no difference between a wrong answer and a right one, Errors are not negative, they are just as positive as correct responses. (Curtis and the writer2 in experimenting with a modified form of the true-false test, discovered that abil ity to recognize a false statement as false did not necessarily imply an equal ability to amend the false statement so as to make it true. On the other hand, H.H. and E. M, Remmers5 found no evidence that the true false test leaves a residue of false as sociations. TABLE I