This study examined the characteristics of items using none of the above (NOT A) as an answer option in observation based multiple-choice questions. Previous research has examined only the use of a NOTA option in academic knowledge based testing, not in visual recognition testing. Item difficulty and discrimination were examined for three different item formats: (a) items without a NOTA option, (b) items with NOTA as a distracter, and (c) items with NOTA as the correct answer. The questions were based on two photographs with similar content. A total of 98 participants from a large southeastern university completed a visual recognition test containing all three item types. Results revealed no difference in item discrimination between items without a NOTA option and items with a NOTA option, but did indicate that items with a NOTA option were more difficulty. A discussion of the results, limitations, and suggestions for future research is provided.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study examined the characteristics of items using <em>none of the above </em>(NOT A) as an answer option in observation based multiple-choice questions. Previous research has examined only the use of a NOTA option in academic knowledge based testing, not in visual recognition testing. Item difficulty and discrimination were examined for three different item formats: (a) items without a NOTA option, (b) items with NOTA as a distracter, and (c) items with NOTA as the correct answer. The questions were based on two photographs with similar content. A total of 98 participants from a large southeastern university completed a visual recognition test containing all three item types. Results revealed no difference in item discrimination between items without a NOTA option and items with a NOTA option, but did indicate that items with a NOTA option were more difficulty. A discussion of the results, limitations, and suggestions for future research is provided.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["King, Stephen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Department of Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2006-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:07:16Z","subjects":["Education","Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/288","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["King, Stephen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Education","Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/288"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study examined the characteristics of items using none of the above (NOT A) as an answer option in observation based multiple-choice questions. Previous research has examined only the use of a NOTA option in academic knowledge based testing, not in visual recognition testing. Item difficulty and discrimination were examined for three different item formats: (a) items without a NOTA option, (b) items with NOTA as a distracter, and (c) items with NOTA as the correct answer. The questions were based on two photographs with similar content. A total of 98 participants from a large southeastern university completed a visual recognition test containing all three item types. Results revealed no difference in item discrimination between items without a NOTA option and items with a NOTA option, but did indicate that items with a NOTA option were more difficulty. A discussion of the results, limitations, and suggestions for future research is provided.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"None of the Above\" as an Answer Option in Observatoin Based Multiple-Choice Questions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["King, Stephen"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study examined the characteristics of items using none of the above (NOT A) as an answer option in observation based multiple-choice questions. Previous research has examined only the use of a NOTA option in academic knowledge based testing, not in visual recognition testing. Item difficulty and discrimination were examined for three different item formats: (a) items without a NOTA option, (b) items with NOTA as a distracter, and (c) items with NOTA as the correct answer. The questions were based on two photographs with similar content. A total of 98 participants from a large southeastern university completed a visual recognition test containing all three item types. Results revealed no difference in item discrimination between items without a NOTA option and items with a NOTA option, but did indicate that items with a NOTA option were more difficulty. A discussion of the results, limitations, and suggestions for future research is provided.
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