ap psych essay prompts and scoring 2007

8/13/2019 AP PSYCH Essay Prompts and Scoring 2007

1/16

AP Psychology Essay Prompts and

Scoring Rubrics

The enclosed document includes an essay prompt for each

unit in AP Psychology and a corresponding scoring rubric. The

purpose of this activity is to increase the students awareness of

how AP exam readers grade from a rubric. Emphasis is placed on

the definition of terms and the application of those terms. Units

include:

Introduction to PsychologyPsychobiology

Sensation and Perception

Memory

Learning

Nature and Nurture of Behavior

eveloping Person

!hin"ing# Language# and Intelligence

States of $onsciousnessMotivation and Emotion

Personality

Stress and %ealth

Psychological isorders

!herapy

Social Psychology

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* +


2/16

Unit: Introduction to Psychology

escribe the different perspectives from ,hich psychologists e-amine behavior

and mental processes# and e-plain their complementarity. &our ans,er should include/

Neuroscience Evolutionary

Behavior 0enetics

Psychodynamic

Behavioral

$ognitive

Social1cultural

Rubrics

ote: The application portion on the rubrics may include a variety of answers. This is

simply an example of possible answers. The perspectives have more than onecomplement.

!erm efinition Application

Neuroscience !he study of ho, the neurological system affectssuch things as emotions# memories# and sensory

e-periences.

It is complementary to evolutionarybecause the structures and functions

of the brain that promote survival arethe most li"ely to develop.

Evolutionary !he study of the natural selection of some traitsthat promotes genetic survival.

It is complementary to the behavioralperspective because some behaviors

may enhance the chance to survival.

Behavior 0enetics !he study of ho, much our psychological traits

are attributed to our genetic ma"e1up or as aresult of environmental influences.

It is complementary to the cognitive

process because our thin"ing#language# and intelligence may be the

result of our ability to adapt to ourenvironment.

Psychodynamic !he study of ho, unconscious drives andconflicts may influence our lives

It is complementary to the behavioralperspective in the investigation ofho, much of our behavior is belo,our a,areness level.

Behavioral !he study of ho, ,e learn from the environmentaround us.

It is complementary to the social1cultural perspectives in the

investigation of ho, differingsituations can influence our behavior.

$ognitive !he study of ho, ,e encode# process# and storeinformation.

It is complementary to theneuroscience perspective because our

cognitive ability is dependent on our

brain function.Sociocultural !he study of ho, behavior and thin"ing can vary

across socio1cultural situations.It is complementary to the behaviorgenetics perspective because pro1

social behaviors may influence thegenetics of one culture as opposed toanother.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* (


3/16

Unit: Psychobiology

Identify the four lobes of the cerebral corte-# and describe the sensory and motor

functions of the corte-. &our ans,er should include the description and function of the

follo,ing/

2rontal lobe

Parietal lobe

3ccipital lobe

!emporal lobe

Rubrics

Lobes escription 2unction

2rontal Located behind the forehead and is "no,nespecially for the arch1shaped region at the

bac" of the frontal lobe "no,n as the motor

corte-.

!he fontal lobe isresponsible for higher order

thin"ing and the motor

corte- controls voluntarymovements.

Parietal Located on the top of the head and is "no,n

especially for the sensory corte- ,hich isparallel to the motor corte- and located at the

front of the parietal lobe.

!he sensory corte- in the

parietal lobe is responsiblefor registering and

processing body sensations.

3ccipital Located at the bac" of the head and includesthe visual corte-.

!he visual corte- receivesand begins processing

visual information.

!emporal Located roughly above the ears and includes

the auditory areas.

!he auditory areas receives

and begins the processing ofauditory information.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* 4


4/16

Unit: Sensation and Perception

iscuss the different levels of visual information processing and the value ofparallel processing. &our ans,er should include/

2eature detection

$olor constancy Parallel processing

Rubrics


2eature detection Neurons that receive information to

specific features such as edges#

angles# movements# etc.

2eature detection neurons

pass the information on to

more comple- neuronsystems ,hich integrate the

information into a visual,hole.

$olor $onstancy Perceiving familiar ob5ects as having

consistent color even in situations

,here the ,avelengths reflected bythe ob5ect are altered.

!he e-perience of color not

only depends on the

,avelength information butthe surrounding conte-t. It

demonstrates that our

e-perience of color comesnot 5ust from the ob5ect but

from everything around it as

,ell.

Parallel processing !he processing of several pieces ofinformation by integrating the ,or"

of different perceptual systems#,hich ,or" in parallel.

!he brain divides a visualscene into subdimensions

but ,or"s on each aspectsimultaneously to produce

an integrated perception.



5/16

Unit: Memory

escribe the capacity and duration of long1term memory# and discuss thebiological changes that may underlie memory formation and storage. &our ans,er

should include/

!he definition of long1term memory !he capacity and duration of long1term memory

%ippocampus

Long1term potentiation

Activity of the amygdale

Rubrics


Long1term memory Relatively permanent and

limitless storehouse of thememory system.

Necessary for the storage of

information for future use.

%ippocampus Part of the brain ,here e-plicit

memories for facts and

episodes are processed and fedto other brain regions for

storage.

E-plicit memories of

names# images# and events

are laid do,n via a thisstructure in the limbic

system.

Long1term potentiation An increase in a synapse7s

firing potential after brief# rapid

stimulation. Believed to be aneural basis for leaning and

memory.

Prolonged strengthening of

neural firing provides a

neural basis for learning andremembering associations.

Activity of the amygdala Structure of the brain ,hichprocesses emotion and boosts

the activity in the brain7s

memory1forming areas.

Emotionally arousingevents ,ill help ma"e

stronger and more reliable

memories. %o,ever#prolonged stress can

corrode neural connections.



6/16

Unit: Learning

E-plain the importance of Pavlov7s ,or"# and describe ho, it might apply to anunderstanding of human health and ,ell1being. &our ans,er should include/

!he concept of associative learning

!he importance of classical conditioning in adaptation !he importance of classical conditioning in ob5ective study of behavior

Rubrics

!erm escription Application

Associative learning Learning that happens ,hen

certain events occurtogether.

Staying a,ay from settings

or things associated ,ith acertain un,anted behaviors

may increase a person7s,ell1being.

Adaptation Learning based on prior

e-periences.

Associative learning can

assist an individual in

adaptation to theirenvironment as ,ell as

identifying elements of

behavior to master theirenvironment.

3b5ective study of behavior Scientific model ,hichincluded no sub5ective

5udgments for e-plainingbehavior

$lassical conditioningterminology provided the

elementary building bloc"sin understanding more

comple- behaviors.



7/16

Unit: Nature and Nurture of Behavior

E-plain ho, the peer group and culture influence child development. &ourans,er should include/

:selection effect;

Parent vs. Peer Influence $ultural Norms

Rubrics


:selection effect; See"ing out peers ,ith similar

attitudes and interests.

Because children tend to

select peers ,ith similar

attitudes and interestsinitially# there may be a

greater opportunity for peerinfluence once the

commonality has beenestablished.

Parent vs. peer influence Parents have more input ,henit comes to education#

responsibility# religion# etc.

Peers have more influence incooperative and social

activities.

Parents are important in theformation of basic values

and standards of conduct.

Peers are important becausethe child learns ho, to

cooperate and interact ,ith

follo, peers.

$ultural Norms Rules for accepted ande-pected behavior# that is

shared by a large group ofpeople.


8/16

Unit: eveloping Person

escribe the early development of a self1concept and discuss possible effects ofdifferent parenting styles on children. &our ans,er should include/

Self1concept

Authoritarian parenting style Permissive parenting style

Authoritative parenting style

Rubrics


Self1concept !he sense of one7s o,n identity

and personal ,orth.

A child7s ma5or social

achievement is a positive

sense of self.

Authoritarian Parenting Parenting style that imposesrules and e-pectsun=uestioning obedience.

$hildren ,ith authoritarianparents tend to be morerigid in self1acceptance and

the acceptance of others.

Permissive Parenting Parenting style in ,hich the

parents submit to their

children7s desires# ma"e fe,

demands# and use littlepunishment.

$hildren ,ith permissive

parents tend to be more

immature ,ith little impulse

control.

Authoritative Parenting Parenting style that is bothdemanding and yet responsive.

!he parents set and enforcerules but encourage opendiscussion and allo,

e-ceptions ,hen ma"ing the

rules.

$hildren ,ith the highestself1esteem# self1reliance#

and social competence tendto have authoritativeparents.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* >


9/16

Unit: !hin"ing# Language# and Intelligence

iscuss ho, ,e use trial and error# algorithms# heuristics# and insight to solveproblems and ho, confirmation bias and fi-ation can interfere ,ith effective problem

solving.

Rubrics


!rial and error ?illingness to try a variety of

possibilities in problem solving until

success is achieved.

!he trial and error method

may be used to solve a

problem ,hen no clear1cutsolution is favored or

several possibilities are tried

until the very best solution

is chosen.Algorithms A step by step procedure use to solve

problems.Although all the steps maybe labor intensive# this

problem solving method

guarantees a solution.

%euristics Simple strategy used to solve

problems

%euristics are more error1

prone than algorithms# but

can be used ,ith trail 'error to hit upon the ans,er.

Insight Sudden flashes of inspiration. Sometimes the problem1solving strategy is not

obvious to us# but thesuddenly all the piecescome together and a

solution develops.

$onfirmation Bias !he search for information toconfirms our individual ideas.

!he reluctance to see" andconsider information that

might disprove one7s beliefs

could interfere ,itheffective problem solving

2i-ation !he inability to see a problem from afresh perspective.

!he reluctance to see aproblem from a different

perspective ,ill alsointerfere ,ith effective

problem solving.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* @


10/16

Unit: States of $onsciousness

escribe the physiological and psychological effects of depressants# stimulants#and hallucinogens and drug dependence.

Rubrics

!erm efinition Physiological Effects Psychological Effects

epressants rugs that calm neural

activity and slo, body

functions.

Slo,s the sympathetic

nervous system activity

including slurredspeech# and performance

deterioration.

Slo,s the brain activity

that controls 5udgment

and inhibitions. Alcoholma"es us more

aggressive or helpful or

self1disclosing if the

tendencies are already

present. isrupts

memory processing.

Stimulants rugs that e-cite neuralactivity and arouse body

functions.

Speeds up the bodyfunctions such as heart

rate and breathing.

Energy and self1confidence rise# ,hich

accounts for ,hy people

use it as a mood

enhancer or to improve

athletic performance.%o,ever ,hen the drug

stimulation ends#

fatigue# headaches#

irritability# and

depression may occur.

%allucinogens rugs that distort

perceptions and evo"e

sensory images in theabsence of sensory

input.

Amplifies the body7s

sensitivity to colors#

sounds# tastes# andsmells.

As the hallucinogenic

e-perience pea"s# people

fre=uently feel separatedfrom their bodies and

e-perience dreamli"e

scenes as though they

,ere real so real thatusers may become

panic1stric"en or harm

themselves.

rug dependence $ontinued use of a

psychoactive drugs

,hich produces

neuroadaptation

In the drug7s absence

the user may feel

physical pain and

intense cravings.

?hen the drugs become

an important part of the

user7s life as a ,ay of

relieving negative

emotions or as other

coping mechanisms.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* +)


11/16

Unit: Motivation and %motion

iscuss the importance of various motives for ,or"ing# and identify the aims ofindustrial1organiation psychology. &our ans,er should include/ pay# relationships# or

identity.

Rubrics


Pay 2inancial compensation for

,or" done.

Many individuals are simply

motivated because they need anincome to support themselves.

In general# the amount of pay

increases as the amount ofresponsibility increases.

RelationshipsIdentity 3ne7s sense of self

solidified by testing and

integrating various roles.

People7s =uality of life increases

,hen they are purposefully

engaged in a meaningfulactivity. !he sense of self1

esteem# competence# ,ell1being#

and sense of identity increase,ith 5ob satisfaction.

Industrial1organiationalPsychology

!he application ofpsychology7s principles to

the ,or"place.

!his branch of psychologyapplies psychology7s methods

and principles to selecting and

evaluating ,or"ers# considersho, ,or" environments andmanagement types influence

,or"er motivation# satisfaction#

and productivity.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* ++


12/16

Unit: Personality

escribe the social1cognitive perspective# and discuss the important conse=uencesof personal control CinternalDe-ternal locus of control# self1control# learned helplessness#

and optimism.


Social1cognitivePerspective

Fie,s behavior as influenced by theinteraction bet,een person Cand their

thin"ing and their social conte-t.

?e learn behaviors throughconditioning# by observing# and

modeling behaviors. %o,ever ho,

,e thin! aboutand interpret those

situations also influences our

behavior.

Personal $ontrol ?hether ,e learn to see ourselves as

controlling# or as controlled by# our

environment.

Individuals ,ith and e-ternal locus

of control perceive that chance or

outside forces determine their fate.

Individuals ,ith and internal locus

of control believe that they controltheir o,n destiny. Internals achieve

more in school# act moreindependently# en5oy better health#

and feel less depressed than do

:e-ternals; In the social1cognitive

perspective it is preferable to have a

greater internal locus of control.

Self1$ontrol !he ability to control impulses and

delay gratification.

2rom the social1cognitive

perspective# self1control is a

predictor of good ad5ustment# better

grades# and social success.

Learned %elplessness !he hopelessness and passive

resignation a person learns ,hen

unable to avoid repeated aversive

events.

2rom the social1cognitive

perspective people repeatedly faced

,ith traumatic events come to feel

helpless# hopeless# and depressed#

and perceive control as e-ternal.

3ptimism Fie,ing events in a positive ,ay. 3ptimists are able to put a positive

spin on events in the face ofadversity. According to the social1

cognitive perspective success

re=uires enough optimism to provide

hope and enough pessimism to

prevent complacency. E-cessive

optimism can blind us to real ris"s.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* +(


13/16

Unit: Stress and &ealth

escribe ho, stress increases the ris" of disease by inhibiting the activities of the

body7s immune system. &our ans,er should include/ B and ! lymphocytes#

macrophage# epinephrine and norepinephrine# and the fight1or1flight response.


Stress !he process by ,hich ,e

perceive and physiologically

respond to certain events# calledstressors# that ,e appraise as

threatening or challenging.

!he nervous and endocrine

systems are activated during the

stress response# ,hich has aninfluence on the immune system.

B and ! lymphocytes ?hile blood cells that defend the

body by isolating and destroyingforeign substances.

B lymphocytes are formed in the

bone marro, and fights bacterialinflections. ! lymphocytes are

formed in the thymus and attac"s

cancer cells# viruses# and foreignsubstances. %o,ever# if these

lymphocytes react too strongly

they may attac" the body7s o,n

tissues causing such things as

arthritis or an allergic reaction.3r it could under1react and a

dormant virus could erupt or

cancer cells could multiply.

Macrophage Process by ,hich invading cells

are identified# pursued# and

ingested.

!he B and ! lymphocytes use the

process of macrophage to destroy

invading cells.

Epinephrine and Norepinephrine ?hen the brain perceives a

stressor# it triggers an outpouringof epinephrine and

norepinephrine ,hich enter the

bloodstream from adrenal glands

!he greater the stress response#

the more hormones are releasedinto the bloodstream. !he stress

hormones in turn suppress the

disease1fighting lymphocytes.

2ight or flight Adaptive response in ,hich the

sympathetic nervous system

increases heart rate and

respiration# diverts blood from

digestion and s"eletal muscles#and releases stored sugar and fat

in preparation for the organism tostand its ground and fight or flee

a threatening situation.

Stress leads to an aroused# fight1

or1flight response and diverts

enerby to mobilie the body for

action. !herefore energy needed

by the immune system is no,diverted ma"ing us more

vulnerable to foreign invaders.

AP PS&$ Essay Prompts ' Scoring ())* +4


14/16

Unit: Psychological isorders

escribe the various symptoms and subtypes of schiophrenia# and discuss

research on its causes. &our ans,er should include/ paranoid# disorganied# catatonic#undifferentiated# and residual schiophrenia.


Schiophrenia Split from reality in ,hich the

person displays disorganied

thin"ing# disturbed perception#

and inappropriate emotions and

actions.

Actions profoundly disrupt social

relationships and during the most

severe periods# people ,ith

schiophrenia live in a private

inner ,orld# preoccupied ,ith

illogical ideas and unreal images.

Paranoid schiophrenia Preoccupation ,ith delusion or

hallucination# often ,ith themes

of persecution or gra ndiosity.

Person holds on to the false belief

that they ,ill be persecuted li"e

$hrist or Martin Luther


15/16

Emotional unpredictability

Poor peer relations and soloplay

Unit: !herapy

Identify the basic characteristics of humanistic therapy# behavior therapy# andcognitive therapy.


%umanistic !herapy !he aim is to boost self1

fulfillment by helpingpeople gro, in self1

a,areness and self1

acceptance

!he most ,idely used is

client1centered therapy,hich focuses on a person7s

conscious self1perception

and uses the techni=ue of

active listening.

Behavior !herapy Gses learning principles toeliminate the un,antedbehavior.

$ounterconditioning pairsthe trigger stimulus ,ith ane, response that is

incompatible ,ith fear.

Systematic desensitiationassociates a pleasant rela-ed

state ,ith gradually

increasing an-iety1

triggering stimuli.E-posure therapies treat

an-ieties by e-posing

people to the things theyfear.

Aversive conditioning

associates an unpleasantstate ,ith an un,anted

behavior.

!o"en economy re,ardsdesired behavior

$ognitive !herapy !eaching people ne,# more

constructive ,ays ofthin"ing.

2aulty cognitive processes

could include/

3vergeneraliationiminishing the positiveEmphasiing the negative

All1or1nothing thin"ing



16/16

Unit: Social Psychology

escribe Milgram7s controversial e-periments on obedience# and discuss theirimplications for understand our susceptibility to social influence.

!he participants ,ere told that the study concerned the effect of punishment onlearning.

Participants dre, slips form a hat to see ,ho ,ould be the :teacher; and ,ho

,ould be the :student.;

!he :learner; ,as strapped into a chair :,ired; to an electric shoc" machine.

!he :teacher; sat in front of the machine ,ith s,itches labeled ,ith voltages.

!he :teacher; ,as given the tas" to teach and then test the learner on a list of,ord pairs.

!he :teacher; punished the :learner; for ,rong ans,er by delivering briefelectric shoc".

After each :learner7s; error# the :teacher; move up to the ne-t higher voltage.

After the eighth s,itch is activated the :learner; shouts that the shoc"s are

painful.

!he e-perimenter prods the :teacher; to go on saying it is essential to continue#

and the e-periment re=uires that the :teacher; must continue.

Milgram7s finding ,ere that 94H complied fully right up to the last s,itch.

3bedience ,as highest ,hen/

!he person giving the orders ,as close at hand and ,as perceived to be a

legitimate authority figure.

!he authority figure ,as supported by a prestigious institution.

!he victim ,as depersonalied# or at a distance.

!here ,ere no role models for defiance.


ap psych essay prompts and scoring 2007

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