Multiple-choice testing procedures that do not provide corrective feedback facilitate neither learning nor retention. In Studies 1 and 2, the performance of participants evaluated with the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF AT) , a testing method providing immediate feedback and enabling participants to answer until correct, was compared to that of participants responding to identical tests with Scantron answer sheets. Performance on initial tests did not differ, but when retested after delays of 1 day or 1 week, participants evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated higher scores and correctly answered more questions that had been initially answered incorrectly than did participants evaluated with Scantron forms. In Study 3, immediate feedback and answering until correct was available to all participants using either the IF AT or a computerized testing system on initial tests, with the final test completed by all participants using Scantron forms. Participants initially evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated increased retention and correctly responded to more items that had initially been answered incorrectly. Active involvement in the assessment process plays a crucial role in the acquisition of information, the incorporation of accurate information into cognitive processing mechanisms, and the retrieval of correct answers during retention tests. Results of Studies 1-3 converge to indicate that the IF AT method actively engages learners in the discovery process and that this engagement promotes retention and the correction of initially inaccurate response strategies.Testing and assessment are integral to the educational process. When university or college education takes place as tutorials or in classrooms with a small number of participants, essay examinations are preferred, as they are relatively easy to construct, they allow the instructor to assess the depth and breadth of participant understanding, and they

Based on an instance of "clinical lore" we assess the efficacy of children's and adolescents' knowledge of family history as an index of psychological well-being and potential for positive change in clinical and educational settings. We report that knowledge of family history is significantly correlated with internal locus of control, higher self-esteem, better family functioning, greater family cohesiveness, lower levels of anxiety, and lower incidence of behavior problems. We suggest that through the use of a brief measure of family knowledge, practicing clinicians can rapidly generate a data-based correlate of children's well-being and likelihood of overcoming psychological and educational challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

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