The results of five studies into the characteristics of wrong answers as a class of divergent behavior are presented. The evidence from these studies, when taken in combination, suggests that the tendency of researchers to ignore wrong answers has been a fundamental procedural error of broad scope and serious consequences. Instead of the straight…

Determines the relationship of sex, answer-changing incidence, and total score to net changes in total score resulting from changing answers, by examining the answer-changing behavior of graduate students responding to achievement test items. (Author/RC)

Sociology students were administered two Thurstone-type attitude scales under two conditions (with or without a "cannot decide" option), and a measure of ambiguity tolerance. The "cannot decide" option was used by a slight majority of students when available, but usage was not related to ambiguity tolerance. (Author/JKS)

As predicted, subjects scored higher on subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children which they had rated positively than on those which they had rated negatively. This positive reinforcement value effect supports the purposeful human image advanced by logical learning theory. No racial or social class differences were seen. (Author/CP)

Test-retest item instability indices for low, middle, and high scores on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale were calculated in order to test the hypothesis that low scores are invalid because of unreliability of responding. The hypothesis was not supported. (Author/JKS)

The diversity among interpretations of single items in personality questionnaires has been noted previously. Using adjectives from the Adjective Check List (ACL), the study sought evidence bearing on these questions: Does such diversity make the responses to an item not comparable across subjects? If so, what are the implications for scores based…

Describes a study of the accuracy of student responses on objective tests. Investigators examined the frequency of correctness on initial responses versus changed responses, and the relationship to degree of familiarity of the content. Results show that changing test answers tends to produce more right than wrong answers by more students.…

The study compared the performance of severe and mild learning disabled children to normal children on a problem-solving task. The three types of children were assessed on the Matching Familiar Figures task. Results indicated that on the MFF, LD children, as a group, were more impulsive than normal children. (Author)

Boys (N=55) aged 8-11, categorized as impulsives by the Matching Familiar Figures test, participated in a study comparing the effects of three different techniques, designed to change an impulsive cognitive style on response accuracy and response latency. Subjects trained to increase response latency did show a significant increase in latency.…

This study examined response bias in 108 female adolescents randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) interactive computer interview; (2) face-to-face interview, or (3) self-administered questionnaire. Results showed no significant group differences on reports of sexual behavior, substance use or symptomatology. (Author/BS)

An alternative way of studying group differences is proposed based on ordering analysis using item hierarchies as a basis of comparison between two groups. Subjects were sets of twins in elementary school. Results showed that blacks and whites and males and females had similar item hierarchies for complex items. (Author/LMO)

Two studies examined second- through fifth-grade children's negative-item bias with responses to the Self Description Questionnaire and how it is related to cognitive development and reading achievement. Results showed that younger children and poorer readers responded less appropriately to negative items, thus biasing the interpretations of their…

Longstreth's critique of Jensen's research on the relationship of IQ to individual differences in visual reaction time (RT), measured in the Hick paradigm, is said to have numerous errors of fact and interpretation, some trivial and some of theoretical importance. (Author/LMO)