Have you ever wondered why you seem to have a better grasp of a concept after answering a question or two about it? This phenomenon is known as the testing effect.

The testing effect is when people remember things they were asked to remember or answer a survey question about, even if they didn’t know the answer initially. For example, if you answer a question about a topic, you may become more acquainted with it and recall it more easily in the future.

The testing effect was discovered by psychologists in 1909, who found that testing improved memory retention more than studying alone. It has significant implications for the validity and reliability of survey results.

What is the Testing Effect in Surveys?

The testing effect in surveys is a phenomenon that occurs when you take a survey and it influences your performance on a subsequent survey. It’s also known as retrieval practice or test-based learning. 

A significant implication of the testing effect is that it makes it easier for your brain to store and access information later.  For example, if you take a survey on a topic that you have learned before, such as history or geography, you can use the survey questions as a form of retrieval practice and boost your memory of the facts.

The testing effect also helps you answer surveys more accurately. When you practice your retrieval skills, you’re more likely to remember what’s right and wrong, making your answers more reliable.

However, the testing effect also has significant downsides. It may bias respondents’ preferences and distort their recollection of reality.

Types of Testing Effects in Surveys

Here are some common types of testing effects in surveys:

• Practice Effect/Repeated Testing Effect

The testing effect improves your performance when you take a test multiple times. When you practice your retrieval skills, you’re more likely to remember what’s right and wrong, making your answers more reliable.

For example, if you take a survey about your political opinions several times, you might become more confident or consistent in your answers.

• Fatigue Effect

This happens when you become tired or bored after taking a test multiple times. For example, if you take a long and complex survey, you might lose interest or motivation and give less accurate or thoughtful answers.

Related – Survey Fatigue: Meaning, Causes & Mitigation

• Interference Testing Effect/Carryover Effect

This occurs when the act of recalling information in a survey interferes with your ability to recall related information. For example, if you take a survey about your satisfaction with a product, you might be more likely to give positive feedback to another product from the same company.

• Sensitization Effect

This happens when taking a test impacts your awareness or attitude toward the test topic, which can influence your subsequent behavior or responses. For example, if you take a survey about your health habits, you might become more conscious of your diet or exercise habits and make changes as a result.

• Contextual Testing Effect

This happens when the context in which survey questions are presented influences your ability to recall information.  For example, if you were asked to recall the names of all the state capitals while sitting in a quiet room, you might have a harder time recalling the same information if asked in a noisy room.

How Does the Testing Effect Impact Survey Design?

The testing effect in surveys can help you improve survey design by paying attention to potential response biases and eliminating them. It also helps you prime respondents, which allows them to recall information that is relevant to the survey questions.

Pre-test questions are the questions used to prime respondents. They help activate respondents’ prior knowledge and attitudes about a topic.

For example, if you were conducting a survey about a lipgloss from Brand X, you can ask respondents about their previous experiences with lipgloss from other brands to help them recall relevant information.

Pre-test questions also provide a baseline measure of respondents’ level of concern, knowledge, and behavior. You can use this information to identify areas where they may need more information or feedback, and increase their interest and motivation to complete the survey.

Another way that the testing effect affects your survey design is through self-testing. It is a type of retrieval practice where you test your knowledge by trying to recall information from memory rather than restudying a topic or concept.

Retrieval practice improves long-term retention and knowledge transfer. So, using self-testing helps your respondents recall previous surveys or questions more accurately.

It also boosts respondents’ confidence and satisfaction with their survey performance while reducing fatigue and boredom by adding variety and challenge to the survey.

Potential Drawbacks of the Testing Effect on Surveys

• Increases Respondent Burden

Respondent burden is the amount of time and effort respondents put into completing a survey. 

If a survey requires respondents to take a test before or after answering any questions about it, it can make the survey longer and more difficult to complete. This may reduce respondent motivation and engagement, leading to lower response rates, higher attrition rates, and lower data quality.

For example, a survey may ask respondents to read a section about a political topic and test their understanding of the topic before asking for their opinion on it. Some respondents may find this too challenging and abandon the survey or skip certain questions.

• Introduces Potential Bias in the Responses

A bias is any systematic error or deviation from what is actually true about a variable. For example, if a survey uses a test to manipulate or influence people’s opinions or behavior, it comprises the accuracy and reliability of the survey results.

For example, if a survey tests respondents’ knowledge of a product’s features and benefits before asking them about their intent to buy it, it may prime them to think more positively about the product and increase their likelihood of purchasing it.

• Potential Ethical Concern

Ethical concerns are moral or legal issues that might come up as a result of conducting a survey. If a survey uses a test to mislead or coerce respondents into giving certain answers or performing certain actions, this violates the principles of informed consent, respect for privacy, and protection from harm.

For example, if a survey assesses respondents’ knowledge of a health condition and then informs them that they are at risk of developing it unless they enroll in a treatment program, this is considered unethical and illegal.

For You: How To Correct Biased Survey Results 

How to Avoid the Testing Effect in Surveys

• Randomize the Questions and the Response Options Order: Mix up the questions and answers for each person instead of having them all in the same order. This prevents respondents from answering based on patterns or cues.
• Use Alternative Response Formats:  Use open-ended questions, ranking questions, or even matrix questions instead of multiple-choice questions or the Likert scale. This adds more variety and complexity to the survey, which prevents it from becoming too repetitive or boring.
• Avoid Repetitive Questioning: For example, instead of asking “How satisfied are you with our product?” twice, you could ask “How happy are you with our product?” and “How well does our product meet your needs?”
• Take Breaks: Allowing respondents to take breaks or pauses during the survey allows them to relax and recharge. This reduces the likelihood of respondent burnout and mitigates the testing effect.
• Avoid Asking Questions That Require Factual Recall or Recognition: For example, instead of asking “Which of these features do you use most often?”, you could ask “How useful are these features to you?” This allows you to avoid testing the respondents’ memory and instead focus on their opinions or preferences.

Read More – Leading Questions: Definition, Types, and Examples

Best Practices for Utilizing the Testing Effect in Surveys

• Pretesting

Use appropriate pre-test questions to identify any potential issues or biases before administering the survey to a larger sample. This way, you can ensure that the questions are relevant to your target audience, and avoid any potential ethical issues.

For example, if you are conducting a market research survey about a new product, you can ask questions like “How familiar are you with this product?” or “What features do you expect from this product?” 

Pre-testing also primes the respondents to pay more attention to the new information that you will provide in the survey, and recall accurately.

• Minimize Respondent Burden

Avoid asking too many or too difficult pre-test questions that might frustrate or discourage the respondents from completing the survey. Ideally, the pre-test questions should take no more than 5 minutes to complete, and they should be easy to understand and answer. 

You can also use multiple-choice or rating scale questions to reduce the cognitive load on the respondents.

• Tailor the Testing Effect to Fit Different Types of Surveys

For example, in market research surveys, you can use pre-test questions to prime respondents’ memory and attention about a brand, product, or service before measuring their attitudes, preferences, and behaviors toward it.

But for employee engagement surveys, you use the pre-test questions to activate respondents’ knowledge and experience about their work environment, culture, and values, and then assess their level of engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Conclusion

Using the Testing Effect in Surveys can help increase respondents’ motivation and interest in taking your survey, but it has some drawbacks. However, if you follow the best practices for testing effects in surveys, you can minimize the negative effects of the testing effect and have accurate and reliable survey data.