AAQ Breakdown

Article Analysis Question (AAQ) Overview

• On the AP exam, you'll answer one Article Analysis Question (AAQ).
• The AAQ requires you to summarize one peer-reviewed source.
• College Board suggests allocating 25 minutes for the AAQ, with 10 minutes for reading the prompt and study.
• Time allocation is flexible, but remember you have a total of 70 minutes for both the AAQ and the EBQ.

AAQ Structure

• AAQs have six parts.
  • Three parts remain consistent each year.
  • The other three change annually based on the prompt and research.

General Tips for Answering AAQs

• Use complete sentences in your answers.
• While not essays, provide more than just one or two words.
• Review Unit Zero concepts (research methods, ethical guidelines, parts of an experiment).
• Connect core skills to different units.

Strategy for Approaching the AAQ

• Read the prompt and all parts of the AAQ before reading the peer-reviewed study.
• This helps you focus on key variables, statistics, ethical guidelines, and other necessary information while reading the study.
• Highlight, underline, and mark up the document and AAQ to focus on key terms and concepts.

Part A: Identify the Research Method

• Task: Identify the research method used in the study.
• Possible Answers:
  • Correlational Research
  • Case Study
  • Naturalistic Observation
  • Meta-Analysis
  • Experiment
  • Cross-Sectional Study
  • Longitudinal Study
• Four non-experimental options, one experimental option, and two design options.
• Longitudinal and cross-sectional should be connected to one of the experimental or non-experimental options.
• College Board says AAQs will focus on one research method.
• Answer should be a single sentence.

Part B: State the Operational Definition

• Task: State the operational definition for a variable in the study.
• Operational definitions should be specific and quantifiable to allow replication.
• State how the variable is measured precisely.
• The AAQ provides the answer; you need to locate and copy it.
• Use a complete sentence.
• Example sentence format: "The operational definition of [variable] is [definition from AAQ]."

Part C: Describe the Meaning of the Identified Statistic

• Task: Describe the meaning of the identified statistic.
• Possible statistics:
  • Mean
  • Median
  • Mode
  • Range
  • Standard Deviation
  • Percentile Rank
  • Skewness
  • Correlation Coefficients
  • Effect Size
  • Statistical Significance
• Do not just identify the statistic; describe its meaning in the context of the research.
• Show how the statistic connects with the research.

Part D: Identify an Ethical Guideline

• Task: Identify at least one ethical guideline applied by the researcher.
• Identify one guideline from the study.
• Look in the Participants or Method section.
• Identify a guideline that is part of the study, not one that you think should be part of it.
• Only identify one guideline.

Part E: Explain Generalizability

• Task: Explain the extent to which the research findings may or may not be generalizable using specific and relevant evidence from the study.
• Explain question requiring more than one sentence.
• Support your answer with evidence from the study.
• Generalizability refers to the extent that the study can be broadly applied to the larger population.
• Address who IS and IS NOT represented in the study.
• Answer should state whether the study is generalizable and explain why, connecting to evidence from the study.

Part F: Explain How Research Findings Support/Refute

• Task: Explain how at least one of the research findings supports or refutes the psychological concept or hypothesis of the study.
• Worth two points.
• Clearly state what the researcher found.
• Explain how the results support or refute the hypothesis or concept the AAQ asks about.
• Frame your answer by stating if the conclusions support or refute the hypothesis/concept, followed by an explanation connecting to data, conclusions, or findings from the study.