WRITING MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM ITEMS

1. WRITING MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM ITEMS DOUGLAS A. BERNSTEIN University of South Florida Southampton University www.douglasbernstein.com douglas.bernstein@worldnet.att.net

2. SOME MYTHS ABOUT MCQs USEFUL MAINLY FOR TESTING BASIC, FACTUAL INFORMATION NOT USEFUL FOR ASSESSING LEARNING AT HIGHER COGNITIVE LEVELS

3. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF COGNITIVE SKILLS

4. SOME MYTHS ABOUT MCQs USEFUL MAINLY FOR TESTING BASIC, FACTUAL INFORMATION NOT USEFUL FOR ASSESSING LEARNING AT HIGHER COGNITIVE LEVELS NOT AS GOOD OVERALL AS ESSAY EXAMS EASY TO WRITE NO SPECIAL PRACTICE NEEDED

5. THE TRUTH ABOUT MCQs THEY CAN, INDEED, TEST MEMORY OF FACTUAL INFORMATION

7. A “REMEMBERING” ITEM Who wrote War and Peace? a. Rachmoninov b. Tolstoy c. Dostoyevsky d. Solzhenitsyn

8. THE TRUTH ABOUT MCQs THEY CAN, INDEED, TEST MEMORY OF FACTUAL INFORMATION THEY CAN ALSO TEST THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, APPLY, ANALYZE, AND EVALUATE INFORMATION

9. MCQs FOR ALL LEVELS

10. AN “UNDERSTANDING” ITEM During a sleep study, you notice that your research participant’s EEG shows brain activity known as spindles and K-complexes. The participant is probably in stage ___ sleep. a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

11. MCQs FOR ALL LEVELS

12. AN “APPLYING” ITEM Naomi asked seven randomly selected people the following question, "On a scale from 0 (not at all) to 9 (definitely), how strongly do you believe in ghosts?" Their responses were as follows: 0, 0, 1, 1, 9, 9, 9. Which measure of central tendency should Naomi use if she wants to convince her friends that most people strongly believe in ghosts? A. Mode C. Median B. Mean D. Range

14. AN “ANALYZING” ITEM The difference between state and trait anxiety is that a. The former refers to general anxiety and the latter refers to situational anxiety. b. The former refers to situational anxiety and the latter refers to general anxiety. c. The former refers to physiological responses and the latter refers to questionnaire responses. d. The former refers to questionnaire responses and the latter refers to physiological responses.

16. AN “EVALUATING” ITEM Injuries to belted passengers increase wherever seat belt laws are passed. Which of the following serves as a logical counterargument to repealing these laws? a. Injuries will fall once people learn to wear belts correctly. b. More people are wearing belts when accidents occur. c. Though injuries increase, fatalities decrease. d. Both B and C

17. THE TRUTH ABOUT MCQs THEY CAN, INDEED, TEST MEMORY OF FACTUAL INFORMATION THEY CAN ALSO TEST THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, APPLY, ANALYZE, AND EVALUATE INFORMATION THEY CAN EVEN TEST CREATIVITY

19. THE TRUTH ABOUT MCQs THEY CAN, INDEED, TEST MEMORY OF FACTUAL INFORMATION THEY CAN ALSO TEST THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, APPLY, ANALYZE, AND EVALUATE INFORMATION THEY CAN EVEN TEST CREATIVITY THEY CAN BE AS GOOD AS ESSAYS GOOD ONES ARE NOT EASY TO WRITE

20. Two researchers tested the hypothesis that college students’ grades and stress are related. One researcher operationally defined stress as the number of minutes spent arguing with others. The other researcher defined stress as the amount of tension at any point in time measured on a 10-point scale. Which of the following statements is accurate?    a. Because their hypotheses are identical, the two         researchers should have similar results.   b. The only valid definition is the number of minutes spent arguing with others because it is the only objective measure.   c. The difference in operational definitions of stress could lead to quite different results.

21. THE TRUTH ABOUT MCQs THEY CAN, INDEED, TEST MEMORY OF FACTUAL INFORMATION THEY CAN ALSO TEST THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, APPLY, ANALYZE, AND EVALUATE INFORMATION THEY CAN EVEN TEST CREATIVITY THEY CAN BE AS GOOD AS ESSAYS GOOD ONES ARE NOT EASY TO WRITE USEFUL GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE

22. BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MCQ TESTS CONTAIN AT LEAST 60 ITEMS (FOR MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS) CAREFULLY PLANNED

23. Fritz's computer screeches like a monkey every time he gets new e-mail. One day, Fritz is watching "Three Monkeys and a Banana" on HBO, but when a monkey screeches on the show, Fritz does not go to check his e-mail because he realizes the sound is coming from the TV set, not his computer. In other words, Fritz has made a A. hit. C. false alarm. B. miss. D. correct rejection.

24. A TABLE OF SPECIFICATION COGNITIVE LEVEL CONTENT REMEMBERING UNDERSTANDING APPLYING Classical Conditioning 1 1 2 Shaping 1 1 Reinforcement 1 1 Observational Learning 1 Latent Learning 1 1 Cognitive Processes 1 in Learning

25. BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MCQ TESTS CONTAIN AT LEAST 60 ITEMS (FOR MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS) CAREFULLY PLANNED WRITTEN CAREFULLY

26. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS

27. NOT SO GOOD William James a. pioneered the functionalist school in psychology b. developed introspection to measure consciousness. c. was concerned with perceptual principles. d. was the founder of the behaviorist approach.

28. BETTER William James is best known for founding the _______ approach to psychology. a. functionalist b. structuralist c. behaviorist d. evolutionary

29. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION

30. NOT SO GOOD Shanelle and Audre were each graduating from high school. During their commencement speeches, Shanelle spoke about how excited she was to be going to Harvard because she had worked so hard to reach her goals and was looking forward to moving far away to "spread her wings." Audre said she could not have "made it" without her family's and friends' support and was delighted to be able to attend a nearby university so she can stay close to home. According to your text, Shanelle is most likely _________ and Audre is most likely __________. A. from a collectivist culture; from an individualist culture B. from an individualist culture; from a collectivist culture C. resolving the identity crisis; resolving the intimacy crisis D. resolving the intimacy crisis; resolving the identity crisis

31. BETTER Shanelle is excited to go to a faraway university so that she can “spread her wings" and “be herself.” Audre is happy to study at a local university where she can be sure of having the support of her family and friends. According to your text, Shanelle is most likely ___________ and Audre is most likely _____________. A. from a collectivist culture; from an individualist culture B. from an individualist culture; from a collectivist culture C. resolving the identity crisis; resolving the intimacy crisis D. resolving the intimacy crisis; resolving the identity crisis

32. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION MINIMAL USE OF NEGATIVES

33. NOT SO GOOD Tyler is two days old, healthy and wide awake at the moment. Tyler is unlikely to A. be able to support his weight by hanging with his hands from your fingers. B. pay particular attention to moving faces with high contrast. C. hear the difference between musical notes on a scale. D. turn away and cry when spoken to in an expressive manner.

34. BETTER Tyler is two days old. He is likely to do all of the following EXCEPT A. be able to hang from your finger by one hand. B. pay particular attention to human faces. C. hear the difference between musical notes on a scale. D. turn away and cry when spoken to in an expressive manner.

35. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION MINIMAL USE OF NEGATIVES GRAMMATICALLY CONSISTENT

36. NOT SO GOOD The neurotransmitters associated with schizophrenia and depression are A. GABA B. Glutamate C. Dopamine and serotonin D. Norepinephrine

37. BETTER The neurotransmitters associated with schizophrenia and depression are A. GABA and glutamate B. Dopamine and GABA C. Dopamine and serotonin D. Serotonin and norepinephrine

38. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION MINIMAL USE OF NEGATIVES GRAMMATICALLY CONSISTENT BALANCED CORRECT OPTIONS ONLY ONE CORRECT OPTION

39. NOT SO GOOD Azenett was interested in the relationship between temperature and domestic violence. She found a positive correlation between daily high temperatures and number of calls to a domestic violence hotline over a one year period. Which of the following correlation coefficients best describes the relationship between temperature and crisis line calls? A. -0.78 C. +0.83 B. 0.00 D. +1.00

40. BETTER Azenett found a positive correlation between daily high temperatures and number of calls to a domestic violence hotline over a one year period. Which of the following correlation coefficients best describes the relationship between temperature and crisis line calls? A. -0.78 C. +0.83 B. 0.00 D. -1.00

41. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION MINIMAL USE OF NEGATIVES GRAMMATICALLY CONSISTENT BALANCED CORRECT OPTIONS ONLY ONE CORRECT OPTION EQUALLY PLAUSIBLE OPTIONS

42. NOT SO GOOD The founder of Gestalt therapy was A. Karen Horney B. Fritz Perls C. Osama Bin Laden D. George Kelly

43. BETTER The founder of Gestalt therapy was A. Karen Horney B. Fritz Perls C. Carl Rogers D. George Kelly

44. NOT SO GOOD Avoiding shock by pressing a button when a warning tone sounds is an example of A. escape conditioning B. avoidance conditioning C. delayed conditioning D. backward conditioning

45. BETTER In a laboratory experiment, Peter learned that if he pushed a button at the sound of a warning tone, he would not be shocked. This learning is an example of _______ conditioning. A. escape B. delayed C. backward D. avoidance

46. NOT SO GOOD The phenomenon of looming occurs A. when light is poorly focused. B. at the blind spot. C. when the visual image of an approaching object expands about equally in all directions on the retina until it fills the visual field. D. only at night.

47. BETTER The phenomenon of looming occurs A. when light is poorly focused on the retina, preventing transmission of a clear image to the brain. B. at the blind spot, where axons from ganglion cells exit the eyeball and eventually reach the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus. C. when the visual image of an approaching object expands about equally in all directions on the retina until it fills the visual field. D. only at night, because looming depends on the activity of photoreceptors called rods, which are activated even in very low light conditions.

48. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS SUBSTANTIAL, MEANINGFUL STEMS RELEVANT INFORMATION MINIMAL USE OF NEGATIVES GRAMMATICALLY CONSISTENT BALANCED CORRECT OPTIONS ONLY ONE CORRECT OPTION EQUALLY PLAUSIBLE OPTIONS CLEARLY WORDED

49. NOT SO GOOD Susan is applying to graduate school in psychology. She has always been interested in the influences of advertising on consumer behavior. What department of psychology would be the best fit with Susan's interests? A. Educational C. Social B. Clinical D. Industrial

50. BETTER Susan is applying to graduate school in psychology. She has always been interested in the influences of advertising on consumer behavior. Which of the following psychology graduate programs would most likely provide courses and research opportunities that best fit with Susan's interests? A. Educational C. Social B. Clinical D. Developmental