Research as the focus of the AP Psychology Exam

This year’s AP Psychology Exam will be the first exam with the new curriculum which focuses intensely on research. Some may wonder about this focus and why students need to know so much about research in both the multiple-choice and free-responses. This post will exam address research in both sections of the exam.

Regardless of which aspect(s) of Psychology in which students find their interest if they know how to conduct good research, it will allow them to pursue any area they wish. Good research is the basis for new discoveries in any area of scientific exploration and understanding the scientific method in Psychology carries over to all scientific disciplines. In preparation for the AP Psychology exam, there will be no single area that will be covered in more detail than that of research.

Multiple-Choice:

The 75-question multiple-choice portion of the exam will contain roughly 17-18 questions on research techniques and another 7-8 questions on the analysis of research studies and data through graphs, charts, and data. These questions will span all 5 units of the course, the research studies described in the questions will relate to different content areas in Psychology. The questions however, will relate to the identification of types of research, identification or variables, ethics, sampling, measurement techniques, and how conclusions can be made.

Free-Response

The Article Analysis Question (AAQ) will ask students to examine a peer reviewed research study and ask students to complete the following six aspects of analysis.

1. Identify the type of research
2. Identify the operational definition of the measured variable
3. Explain the meaning of the statistical data from the study
4. Identify an ethical consideration used by researchers in the study
5. Address the ability to generalize the results of the study
6. Evaluate the findings as they relate to the hypothesis
   
   

The Evidence Based Question (EBQ) will ask students to examine three summaries of peer reviewed research articles. Students will then need to make a claim and provide evidence from 2 of the 3 sources before moving onto the reasoning point in which they connect the evidence to the claim and to concept in Psychology. The EBQ assesses student’s ability to evaluate the sources, make a claim, and defend that claim.