AP Psychology Exam Prep Notes

Perception and Problem Solving

  • Question 34: Amir uses a photo of a completed puzzle. This illustrates:
    • (C) Top-down processing: Using prior knowledge (the completed puzzle image) to assemble the current puzzle.

Persuasion Techniques and Sales Strategies

  • Scenario: Elijah uses a 30-day trial period and then asks clients to commit to a year-long contract. Ayush artificially raises prices and then offers a discount.
    • Here's the sales data:
      • Elijah's Sales: Quarter 1: 23,000, Quarter 2: 14,700, Quarter 3: 15,600, Quarter 4: 9,900
      • Ayush's Sales: Quarter 1: 12,500, Quarter 2: 11,000, Quarter 3: 8,700, Quarter 4: 9,000
  • Question 35: Based on the data, which persuasion technique is most successful?
    • (C) Foot-in-the-door: Elijah's strategy of starting with a small request (30-day trial) and then asking for a larger commitment.

Ethical Considerations in Research

  • Scenario: Dr. Blankenship is studying obedience at a shopping center. Participants complete a survey but are unknowingly subjected to an overheated room for 20 minutes.
  • Question 30: Ethical considerations applicable to this research:
    • (D) Debriefing: Because the study involves deception, participants must be debriefed after the study to inform them about the true purpose of the research.

Human Development

  • Question 31: Physical changes during puberty (e.g., broadening of shoulders and deepening of voice) are:
    • (C) Secondary sex characteristics: Physical changes that occur during puberty not directly related to reproduction.

Neural Communication

  • Question 32: Label to apply just before the generation of an action potential:
    • (A) Threshold: The level of stimulation required to trigger an action potential.

Psychological Disorders and Societal Norms

  • Question 33: Women in the U.S. are twice as likely to develop clinical depression as men. A likely explanation:
    • (B) Societal norms: Women are more likely to be encouraged to express their feelings and seek help.

Collaboration and Learning

  • Question 36: Teacher believes collaboration with strong teachers/mentors enhances learning.
    • (D) Zone of Proximal Development: Emphasizes the importance of guidance from more knowledgeable others in a child's learning.

Principles of Perception in Advertising

  • Scenario: Coffee association uses billboards with the message "DRINK / COFFEE."
  • Question 37: Principle of perception being used:
    • (B) Closure: Tendency to perceive incomplete figures as complete.
  • Question 38: Appropriate way to operationally define the effectiveness of the advertisement technique:
    • (A) Sales of coffee in restaurants near the billboard: Measuring a direct impact on sales.
  • Question 39: Set of perceptual concepts being used in the advertisement:
    • (C) Gestalt principles: Principles that describe how humans group similar elements, recognize patterns, and simplify complex images.

Diagnosing Psychological Disorders

  • Scenario: 22-year-old Barry reports seeing things others cannot see and says "his sweatshirt has a headache."
  • Question 40: Most consistent diagnosis:
    • (D) Schizophrenic spectrum disorders: Hallucinations and unusual speech are characteristic symptoms.

Explanatory Styles and Coping Mechanisms

  • Scenario: Sasha lost her job but attributes it to bad timing and believes she will find another job due to her skills.
  • Question 41: Concept that best applies to her reasoning:
    • (C) Optimistic explanatory style: Attributing negative events to external, unstable, and specific causes.

Memory and Forgetting

  • Question 42: Sam cannot remember past events that he once could:
    • (B) Inadequate retrieval: The information is stored in memory but cannot be accessed.

Pain Perception

  • Scenario: Donovan falls off his bike. First time, his family attends to him, and he cries. Second time, he jumps back on the bike.
  • Question 43: Concept explaining the difference:
    • (D) The experience of pain involves cognitive factors as well as physical factors: Psychological context and past experiences can influence the perception of pain.

Stress and New Experiences

  • Scenario: Aidan starts a new job, feels stressed about lacking skills but is excited to learn.
  • Question 44: Concept best applies to what Aidan is experiencing:
    • (C) Eustress: Positive stress that is challenging and motivating.

Influence of Social Norms and Cultural Beliefs

  • Scenario: Parents note how social norms and cultural beliefs have changed since they were in high school.
  • Question 45: Interaction of social norms and cultural beliefs are categorized as:
    • (D) Macrosystem: Overarching cultural beliefs and values.

Ethical Procedures in Research

  • Question 46: Most important to ensure a study on anti-anxiety medication follows ethical procedures:
    • (A) Informed consent: Ensuring participants understand the risks and benefits of participating.

Memory Consolidation

  • Scenario: Mercedes has a busy day at a theme park and struggles to remember everything until after a good night's sleep.
  • Question 47: Statement that best explains why Mercedes' recall was better the next day:
    • Memory consolidation requires sleep.