AP PSYCHOLOGY: How to answer an AAQ?
The seven skills you will be tested on
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Identify Research Methods
Operationally define variables
Identify ethical guidelines
Interpret statistics
Generalizability
Support or Refute
Skill #1 Research Methods
There are to main categories for this method non-experimental and experimental
Non-experimental | Experimental |
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Your answer should be phrased “The research method used is a…”
Non-experimental
Case studies are in-depth investigations of ONE individual or small group (ex. classroom, nursing home, etc.) - typically because there is a rare characteristic that warrants research (ex. exceptional autobiographical memory, extraordinary childhood neglect, etc) or to see if features of the group are worth researching further.
Naturalistic observations investigate human, animal (or even neurons in the eyes of the College Board) behavior in “natural” settings (meaning not in your traditional psychology lab) WITHOUT direct interaction. The moment a researcher interacts with a participant, such as asking a question or manipulating the environment (ex. room noise level), the situation is no longer “natural.” The APA ethical guidelines even allow researchers to skip informed consent if the nature of the study is not harmful. Notice the following methods section.
Meta-analysis is done in order to investigate whether similar studies of the same topic can be pooled together in order to increase the size of your data and improve conclusions/generalizability. When you are considering if an AAQ is a meta-analytic study, look for reference to a large number of participants drawn from other completed studies. A meta-analysis is not going to attempt to replicate the previous work (so you will not find new observations, participants, etc.) but instead combine previous studies. Notice the following methods section.
Correlational research can be done in a lot of different ways. The key to determining if an AAQ is a correlational study is to rule out other forms of research and to evaluate how the data findings are presented. Case studies and meta-analysis are not likely to be confused with correlational research because of their unique features. It would be more common to confuse correlational research with naturalistic observations and experiments.
When one conducts correlational research, data is collected with the purpose of finding trends between two variables. If data from the study is graphed, it would usually be in the form of a scatter plot. This enables predictions regarding those two variables. This can be done a few different ways.
For example
Example 1: A researcher could administer a survey to a target population that asks 5 qualitative (numerical) questions with the purpose of seeing if there is a trend between certain responses (ex. number of hours of sleep per night and self-reported happiness). A researcher could even ask about only 2 measurements if the focus is that narrow.
[Example Needed]
Experimental
Experimental research is designed to determine whether or not one variable CAUSES a change in another variable. In order to conduct experimental research one must:
1. Randomly assign participants to groups. AAQs will clearly note if this occurred. Any reference to random assignment automatically makes the answer “an experiment.” Note: It is possible to see a “within-subjects design experiment.” The CollegeBoard should provide a note that this type of experiment satisfies random assignment (as we discussed in class). “Within-subject design” will still fall within the category of “experiment.”
2. Manipulate the exposure to the independent variable between your experiment group(s) and control group. For example, if you are evaluating the effects of a new medication - you would intentionally provide the new drug to your experimental group but NOT the control group.
Operationally Define Variables
Operational definitions are PRECISE and often NUMERICAL (notice Sample Prompt 2 is non-numerical) descriptions of how variables in a study were MEASURED.
The AAQ text will always provide you with the exact answer. Your job is to identify the operational definition within the text and correctly copy it.
The Sample Response
“The operational definition of ________ is…”
Skill 3
Ethical Guidelines |
The study was approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) |
Researchers obtained informed consent from adult participants |
Researchers obtained informed assent (parental consent) for participants under 18 |
Researchers protected participants from harm OR the study is clearly not harmful |
Researchers kept participant information confidential or anonymous |
Researchers must allow participants to withdrawn even after the study has begun |
Researchers debriefed participants at the CONCLUSION of the study |
Sample responses
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Interpret Statistics (Table/Written)
Describe the meaning of {statistic} of the {variable,participants,etc.}in the study
The statistic is either going to be presented in a table, written into the prompt or visualized via a graph. How to evaluate graphs is explained in Skill Five. Your task is to state what the statistic actually means in the context of the study
Mean | The mean is the average. For example, a higher mean would indicate one group, participant, etc. had a better performance. A lower mean would indicate the opposite. |
Median | The median is the middle score after rearranging all numbers into ascending order (least to greatest) and eliminating numbers from the “top and bottom” of the list until you find the middle value. For example, a higher median means scores skew positive. A lower median means scores skew negative. |
Mode | The mode is the most frequent/common score within a set of numbers. |
Range | The range is the difference between the largest and smallest number in the set. Higher ranges mean the scores in the set are more spread out, more diverse, less similar, vary more etc. Lower ranges mean the opposite - the scores are close together, less diverse, more similar, vary less, etc. |
Standard Deviation | Standard deviation is a single value that tells you how much the scores within the set of values VARY from one another (which is another way of saying whether or not they are spread out or not). Higher standard deviations mean the scores in the set are more spread out, more diverse, less similar, vary more, etc. Lower standard deviations mean the opposite - the scores are close together, less diverse, more similar, vary less, etc. |
Percentile | A percentile informs you how that score/number/value compares to the entire distribution of scores. A score on the 98th percentile means the value is greater than or equal to 98% of the scores within the distribution. A score on the 43rd percentile means the value is greater than or equal to 43% of all of the scores within the distribution. |
Percentage | The proportion of a larger number (45% means 45/100 individuals). |
Correlation Coefficient (r =) | The correlation coefficient is a measurement between -1 and +1 and indicates the strength of the trend between two variables in correlational research. The closer to +1 OR -1 the stronger the correlation (or worded conversely the closer to 0.0 the weaker). The stronger the correlation, the more predictable the relationship between the two variables. |
Statistical Significance | The results of a study considered statistically significant “were not likely due to chance.” |
Five - Interpret Graphs
Describe the meaning of [statistic] of the [variable, participants, etc.] in the study. |
Generalizability
Explain the extent to which the research findings may or may not be generalizable using specific and relevant evidence from the study.
Generalizability refers to the extent to which a study can be generalized (applied broadly) to the larger population. Your task is to evaluate the participant demographics and determine who is represented or who is not represented. The same generalizability AAQ question could be answered with a “YES” or “NO” based on your reasoning. As long as you provide a logical reason, you will score. Notice that in the example below.
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Skill #7: Support or Refute
Support or Refute Prompts |
Explain how at least one of the research findings supports or refutes [hypothesis, AP Psychology vocabulary word, etc.]. |
Propose a claim about how the research findings support or refute the concept of [AP Psychology vocabulary word]. |
Your task is to clearly state what the researchers found. This is usually going to be located in the Results and Discussion section of the prompt. The author should provide a statement or two of their findings.
THEN you must identify a very specific aspect of the study that supports your statement. For example, you could cite a specific numerical finding, the details of a graph or provide a summarizing statement (the Sample Prompt 1 example illustrates “summarizing statements”).
Sample Responses |
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The seven skills you will be tested on
It seems like your message got cut off! Please provide the specific topic you want a mnemonic for, and I'll be happy to help you create one.
Sure! Please provide the topic you'd like me to brainstorm ideas on.
Identify Research Methods
Operationally define variables
Identify ethical guidelines
Interpret statistics
Generalizability
Support or Refute
Skill #1 Research Methods
There are to main categories for this method non-experimental and experimental
Non-experimental | Experimental |
|
|
Your answer should be phrased “The research method used is a…”
Non-experimental
Case studies are in-depth investigations of ONE individual or small group (ex. classroom, nursing home, etc.) - typically because there is a rare characteristic that warrants research (ex. exceptional autobiographical memory, extraordinary childhood neglect, etc) or to see if features of the group are worth researching further.
Naturalistic observations investigate human, animal (or even neurons in the eyes of the College Board) behavior in “natural” settings (meaning not in your traditional psychology lab) WITHOUT direct interaction. The moment a researcher interacts with a participant, such as asking a question or manipulating the environment (ex. room noise level), the situation is no longer “natural.” The APA ethical guidelines even allow researchers to skip informed consent if the nature of the study is not harmful. Notice the following methods section.
Meta-analysis is done in order to investigate whether similar studies of the same topic can be pooled together in order to increase the size of your data and improve conclusions/generalizability. When you are considering if an AAQ is a meta-analytic study, look for reference to a large number of participants drawn from other completed studies. A meta-analysis is not going to attempt to replicate the previous work (so you will not find new observations, participants, etc.) but instead combine previous studies. Notice the following methods section.
Correlational research can be done in a lot of different ways. The key to determining if an AAQ is a correlational study is to rule out other forms of research and to evaluate how the data findings are presented. Case studies and meta-analysis are not likely to be confused with correlational research because of their unique features. It would be more common to confuse correlational research with naturalistic observations and experiments.
When one conducts correlational research, data is collected with the purpose of finding trends between two variables. If data from the study is graphed, it would usually be in the form of a scatter plot. This enables predictions regarding those two variables. This can be done a few different ways.
For example
Example 1: A researcher could administer a survey to a target population that asks 5 qualitative (numerical) questions with the purpose of seeing if there is a trend between certain responses (ex. number of hours of sleep per night and self-reported happiness). A researcher could even ask about only 2 measurements if the focus is that narrow.
[Example Needed]
Experimental
Experimental research is designed to determine whether or not one variable CAUSES a change in another variable. In order to conduct experimental research one must:
1. Randomly assign participants to groups. AAQs will clearly note if this occurred. Any reference to random assignment automatically makes the answer “an experiment.” Note: It is possible to see a “within-subjects design experiment.” The CollegeBoard should provide a note that this type of experiment satisfies random assignment (as we discussed in class). “Within-subject design” will still fall within the category of “experiment.”
2. Manipulate the exposure to the independent variable between your experiment group(s) and control group. For example, if you are evaluating the effects of a new medication - you would intentionally provide the new drug to your experimental group but NOT the control group.
Operationally Define Variables
Operational definitions are PRECISE and often NUMERICAL (notice Sample Prompt 2 is non-numerical) descriptions of how variables in a study were MEASURED.
The AAQ text will always provide you with the exact answer. Your job is to identify the operational definition within the text and correctly copy it.
The Sample Response
“The operational definition of ________ is…”
Skill 3
Ethical Guidelines |
The study was approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) |
Researchers obtained informed consent from adult participants |
Researchers obtained informed assent (parental consent) for participants under 18 |
Researchers protected participants from harm OR the study is clearly not harmful |
Researchers kept participant information confidential or anonymous |
Researchers must allow participants to withdrawn even after the study has begun |
Researchers debriefed participants at the CONCLUSION of the study |
Sample responses
|
Interpret Statistics (Table/Written)
Describe the meaning of {statistic} of the {variable,participants,etc.}in the study
The statistic is either going to be presented in a table, written into the prompt or visualized via a graph. How to evaluate graphs is explained in Skill Five. Your task is to state what the statistic actually means in the context of the study
Mean | The mean is the average. For example, a higher mean would indicate one group, participant, etc. had a better performance. A lower mean would indicate the opposite. |
Median | The median is the middle score after rearranging all numbers into ascending order (least to greatest) and eliminating numbers from the “top and bottom” of the list until you find the middle value. For example, a higher median means scores skew positive. A lower median means scores skew negative. |
Mode | The mode is the most frequent/common score within a set of numbers. |
Range | The range is the difference between the largest and smallest number in the set. Higher ranges mean the scores in the set are more spread out, more diverse, less similar, vary more etc. Lower ranges mean the opposite - the scores are close together, less diverse, more similar, vary less, etc. |
Standard Deviation | Standard deviation is a single value that tells you how much the scores within the set of values VARY from one another (which is another way of saying whether or not they are spread out or not). Higher standard deviations mean the scores in the set are more spread out, more diverse, less similar, vary more, etc. Lower standard deviations mean the opposite - the scores are close together, less diverse, more similar, vary less, etc. |
Percentile | A percentile informs you how that score/number/value compares to the entire distribution of scores. A score on the 98th percentile means the value is greater than or equal to 98% of the scores within the distribution. A score on the 43rd percentile means the value is greater than or equal to 43% of all of the scores within the distribution. |
Percentage | The proportion of a larger number (45% means 45/100 individuals). |
Correlation Coefficient (r =) | The correlation coefficient is a measurement between -1 and +1 and indicates the strength of the trend between two variables in correlational research. The closer to +1 OR -1 the stronger the correlation (or worded conversely the closer to 0.0 the weaker). The stronger the correlation, the more predictable the relationship between the two variables. |
Statistical Significance | The results of a study considered statistically significant “were not likely due to chance.” |
Five - Interpret Graphs
Describe the meaning of [statistic] of the [variable, participants, etc.] in the study. |
Generalizability
Explain the extent to which the research findings may or may not be generalizable using specific and relevant evidence from the study.
Generalizability refers to the extent to which a study can be generalized (applied broadly) to the larger population. Your task is to evaluate the participant demographics and determine who is represented or who is not represented. The same generalizability AAQ question could be answered with a “YES” or “NO” based on your reasoning. As long as you provide a logical reason, you will score. Notice that in the example below.
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Skill #7: Support or Refute
Support or Refute Prompts |
Explain how at least one of the research findings supports or refutes [hypothesis, AP Psychology vocabulary word, etc.]. |
Propose a claim about how the research findings support or refute the concept of [AP Psychology vocabulary word]. |
Your task is to clearly state what the researchers found. This is usually going to be located in the Results and Discussion section of the prompt. The author should provide a statement or two of their findings.
THEN you must identify a very specific aspect of the study that supports your statement. For example, you could cite a specific numerical finding, the details of a graph or provide a summarizing statement (the Sample Prompt 1 example illustrates “summarizing statements”).
Sample Responses |
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