Recency Tendency: Responses to Forced-Choice Questions

Peterson, Carole and Mehrani, Mehdi B. (2015) Recency Tendency: Responses to Forced-Choice Questions. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 29 (3). pp. 418-424. ISSN 1099-0720

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Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate whether forced-choice questions would lead to any particular tendency in young children’s responses. Two experiments were conducted in which 3- to 5-year-olds children were shown a short animation and then were asked a set of two-option, forced-choice questions. Consistent findings were obtained: (i) Forced-choice questions influenced children’s responses; (ii) Children displayed a consistent ‘recency tendency.’ That is, they tended to choose the second option in forced-choice questions; (iii) This tendency grew weaker as children aged. The findings suggest that forced-choice questions carry some suggestibility load and can bias children’s responses.

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