Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests
Abstract Performance on standardized academic aptitude tests (AAT) can determine important life outcomes. However, it is not clear whether and which aspects of the content of test questions affect performance. We examined the effect of psychological distance embedded in test questions. In Study 1 (N...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | npj Science of Learning |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00158-x |
| _version_ | 1797836605798481920 |
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| author | Britt Hadar Maayan Katzir Sephi Pumpian Tzur Karelitz Nira Liberman |
| author_facet | Britt Hadar Maayan Katzir Sephi Pumpian Tzur Karelitz Nira Liberman |
| author_sort | Britt Hadar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Performance on standardized academic aptitude tests (AAT) can determine important life outcomes. However, it is not clear whether and which aspects of the content of test questions affect performance. We examined the effect of psychological distance embedded in test questions. In Study 1 (N = 41,209), we classified the content of existing AAT questions as invoking proximal versus distal details. We found better performance with proximal compared to distal questions, especially for low-achieving examinees. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated the distance of questions adapted from AATs and examined three moderators: overall AAT score, working-memory capacity, and presence of irrelevant information. In Study 2 (N = 129), proximity (versus distance) improved the performance of low-achieving participants. In Study 3 (N = 1744), a field study, among low-achieving examinees, proximity improved performance on questions that included irrelevant information. Together, these results suggest that the psychological distance that is invoked by the content of test questions has important consequences for performance in real-life high-stakes tests. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:11:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-405c4c045a9f49a3821e90228609e661 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-7936 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:11:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Science of Learning |
| spelling | doaj.art-405c4c045a9f49a3821e90228609e6612023-04-30T11:07:51ZengNature Portfolionpj Science of Learning2056-79362023-04-018111010.1038/s41539-023-00158-xPsychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude testsBritt Hadar0Maayan Katzir1Sephi Pumpian2Tzur Karelitz3Nira Liberman4School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityBar Ilan UniversityThe Hebrew University of JerusalemThe Hebrew University of JerusalemSchool of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityAbstract Performance on standardized academic aptitude tests (AAT) can determine important life outcomes. However, it is not clear whether and which aspects of the content of test questions affect performance. We examined the effect of psychological distance embedded in test questions. In Study 1 (N = 41,209), we classified the content of existing AAT questions as invoking proximal versus distal details. We found better performance with proximal compared to distal questions, especially for low-achieving examinees. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated the distance of questions adapted from AATs and examined three moderators: overall AAT score, working-memory capacity, and presence of irrelevant information. In Study 2 (N = 129), proximity (versus distance) improved the performance of low-achieving participants. In Study 3 (N = 1744), a field study, among low-achieving examinees, proximity improved performance on questions that included irrelevant information. Together, these results suggest that the psychological distance that is invoked by the content of test questions has important consequences for performance in real-life high-stakes tests.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00158-x |
| spellingShingle | Britt Hadar Maayan Katzir Sephi Pumpian Tzur Karelitz Nira Liberman Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests npj Science of Learning |
| title | Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| title_full | Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| title_fullStr | Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| title_short | Psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| title_sort | psychological proximity improves reasoning in academic aptitude tests |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00158-x |
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