• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • WordPress
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
Science Update

Science Update

Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS

  • Spotlights
  • Reality Check
  • Why Is It?
  • Radio Archives
  • Sciup @ School
Home » Radio Archive » Daily Show » F is for Fail

F is for Fail

April 15, 2010
https://podcast.scienceupdate.com/100415_sciup_test.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window

BOB HIRSHON (host):
How tests fail students…I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

When it comes to taking tests, everyone wants an"A" and not an "F". But now researchers at the University of Missouri have found that exposure to the letter "F" before taking a test can actually make students more likely to fail. Ken Sheldon and Keith Ciani had students write either the letter "A" or "F" on each of the five pages of a basic test of analogies and anagrams. Afterwards, Ciani says they compared the students’ performance.

KEITH CIANI (University of Missouri):
Students that were exposed to the letter "A" before taking a test actually performed better than those with an "F". So our conclusion is that "A" can actually enhance performance and exposure to "F" can actually hurt performance.

HIRSHON:
Ciani attributes the effect to a psychological phenomenon called priming, and suggests that teachers avoid influencing their students’ achievement through unconscious priming. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.

Category: Daily ShowTag: Brain Science, Education, Social & Behavioral Sciences
Previous Post:Medicated Contacts
Next Post:Health Nanotech Roundup

Sidebar

Radio Program Archives

Want to learn more about the brain? The environment? Here you can browse the topics that come up regularly on Science Update.

Search the Archives

Categories

  • Daily Show
  • Station Download
  • Weekly Show

Find By Tag

  • 2020
  • Acoustics & Sound
  • Aging
  • Animal Behavior
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Astronomy & Space
  • Biology
  • Brain Science
  • Bugs
  • Cat Video
  • Chemistry
  • Children & Families
  • cicadas
  • Climate & Weather
  • Communications
  • Computer Science
  • Economics & Business
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Environment & Conservation
  • Genetics & Evolution
  • Geology
  • Marine Science
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine & Health
  • Microbiology
  • Nanotechnology
  • NASA
  • Nutrition & Food Science
  • Paleontology & Dinosaurs
  • Physics
  • Plants & Agriculture
  • Political Science
  • Reality Check
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Sports & Fitness
  • spotlight
  • Spotlight Bugs
  • Terrorism & War
  • Why Is It? Questions
  • Wildlife
  • Year in Review

Find By Date

Science Update
  • About Science Update
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Image of computer screen depicting an orange cat with a variety of alphanumeric scientific data superimposed on the the screen.
Spotted skunk performing handstand to threaten predators

Copyright © 2025 · Springtail Media LLC · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Pongos