$(this).prop('checked', false);
// Note that the pre-jQuery 1.6 idiom was
// $(this).attr('checked', false);
/*
A quick way to check if a radio button as been checked is by using
the .is(":checked") fucntion. A small example below :)
*/
var myElem = jQuery('#elemId'); // select the radio element
var testResult = myElem.is(":checked"); // returns true if checked, else false