The Influence of the Formulation of Multiple Choice Questionnaires on the Answering Behaviour in Relation to so-Called “Logic” Problems

Abstract

The principal aim of this research * was the analysis of tests used by psychologists at school, for a professional orientation or even research (particularly didacticians of mathematics), in order to “measure the intelligence” of certain individuals, to determine their “stage of intellectual development” or to judge their aptitude to understand mathematics. The results obtained (see TH) have confirmed our thesis on the primordial influence of the “setting” chosen in this type of test on the answering behaviour, and the inadequacy of these tests for the above mentioned aims; more specifically one cannot imagine that the candidates follow any type of formal reasoning, more or less close to binary logic in order to answer these questions.