Free-Response Questions An Introduction and Trial Run

The What’s and the How’s You will be given two free-repsonse questions on the AP Test. 50 mins. to complete this section The questions test your knowledge of psychology, NOT your writing skills. The questions are all given point values. These points are very very important to recognize Sometimes you will be asked to… Define, Identify, or Explain

Steps to writing a good essay… 1. Read the questions carefully access points before you write (points normally range from 7-14) (10-11) ALWAYS answer question in order it is asked Budget 20 minutes per essay, 10 minutes for revisions

TOP 10 ESSAY TIPS Avoid diatribes against anything Use terminology from the field of Psych Avoid “information dumping” (aka BS) Say it and move on- Don’t overwrite Write for your audience Take your time- Be content specific Take a breath and reflect Highlight key elements of the question and respond to those directly Budget your time- both questions have equal weight Practice! .... Let’s do that now 

A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective Step 1 How many Points?? 8

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages)

Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo Effects of the drug on Alzheimer’s symptoms

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo Effects of the drug on Alzheimer’s symptoms Participants who receive the drug

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo Effects of the drug on Alzheimer’s symptoms Participants who receive the drug Participants who receive placebo or no drug

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo Effects of the drug on Alzheimer’s symptoms Participants who receive the drug Participants who receive placebo or no drug Gender, varying ages, other medical conditions

Possible confounding variable A neuroscientist thinks he has developed a drug that can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are in the initial stages of the disease. Design a research experiment that will support of refute his hypothesis. In your research design describe the following: Sample Assignment Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental group Control group Possible confounding variable How you would determine whether or not the drug is effective portion of the population of Alzheimer’s patients (should be early stages) Random assignment so equal chance of drug or placebo Drug/no drug or placebo Effects of the drug on Alzheimer’s symptoms Participants who receive the drug Participants who receive placebo or no drug Gender, varying ages, other medical conditions Compare scores on tests or diagnosis

More Practice…. Explain the behavior and perceptions of the participants in the pep rally using the concepts below. Be sure to apply the concepts to the scenario in your explanation Cocktail Party Effect Conformity Deindividuation Figure Ground Occipital Lobe Procedural Memory Sympathetic Nervous System

Got it??

Let’s Practice more… Using the essay you wrote last night, trade with your group members and score each essay (you should read all essays in your group but not yours) First…. how many points is this essay worth? 9 15 minutes to read 3 essays….

Scoring Guide Case Study- explanation, positive, negative (2 point) Correlation Study- explanation, positive, negative (2 point) Experiment- explanation, positive, negative (2 point) Vitamin J on Memory Case Study- key characteristic (i.e. before/ after research) 1 point Correlation Study- key characteristic (i.e. connection made that vitamin J improves memory) 1 point Experiment- key characteristic (i.e. experimental group and control group) 1 point