title: Comparing comprehension measured by multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
abstract: This study compared the nature of text comprehension as measured by multiple-choice format and open-ended format questions. Participants read a short text while explaining preselected sentences. After reading the text, participants answered open-ended and multiple-choice versions of the same questions based on their memory of the text content. The results indicated that performance on open-ended questions was correlated with the quality of self-explanations, but performance on multiple-choice questions was correlated with the level of prior knowledge related to the text. These results suggest that open-ended and multiple-choice format questions measure different aspects of comprehension processes. The results are discussed in terms of dual process theories of text comprehension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozuru
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Briner
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kurby
authors.forename: Danielle S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: McNamara
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D057566:Self Report; D012660:Semantics; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D014825:Vocabulary