A note on the format of Ennis' multiple-choice tests of deductive reasoning competence
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1992
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Abstract
In his pioneer investigations of deductive logical reasoning competence, R.H. Ennis used a multiple-choice format in which the premises are given, and it is asked whether the conclusion would then be true. In the adaptation of his work for use in Jamaica, the three possible answers were stated as "yes" (it must be true), "no" (it can to be true based on what you are told), and "maybe" (it may be true or false). In the original investigations, the results were of no consequence for those tested, but in Jamaica the questions have been part of examinations of importance to the subjects. For this reason, the possible effect of question format was investigated by replacing "maybe" with "not necessarily." Results with 537 subjects in 1990 (using "maybe" test answers) and 474 subjects in 1991 (using "not necessarily" test answers) indicate that the change of format makes no difference to 18 valid items, but results in significant differences in response pattern for 13 of 18 invalid items, with more correct responses in most cases