REVISION OF PALMORE'S SECOND FACTS ON AGING QUIZ FROM A TRUE‐FALSE TO A MULTIPLE‐CHOICE FORMAT

Abstract

A study was undertaken to develop for the first time a multiple‐choice version of one of Palmore's true‐false tests on aging knowledge. We were interested in comparing the two formats of the second Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ2; Palmore, 1981) to determine whether educational measurement improved with a change in format. The multiple‐choice version was administered to 195 introductory sociology students, and the standard true‐false version was given to a second group of 180 introductory sociology students. Compared with the true‐false version, the multiple‐choice version (a) showed a substantial decrease in guessing and thus increased the likelihood that a score was an accurate reflection o respondent's knowledge, (b) had greater internal consistency and reliability, (c) showed a trend toward higher discriminatory power, and (d) identified more specifically some misconceptions about aging.