2000 AP Psychology Free-Response

2000 AP Psychology Free-Response Questions

Directions: You have 50 minutes to answer BOTH of the following questions.  It is not enough to answer a question by merely listing facts.  You should present a cogent argument based on your critical analysis of the question posed.

Question 1 Your high school is proposing moving to a system in which grades are no longer given or used to evaluate student progress.

Define each of the following concepts and state how each might either positively or negatively change student behavior under such a system.

    • Extrinsic motivation
    • Arousal theory (Yerkes-Dodson Law)
    • Learned helplessness
    • Self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 2

The police chief of New City states publicly that she sees a direct relationship between teenage arrests in New City for violent crimes and the popularity among New City teens of especially violent television shows.

a.

    1. Design a correlational study to research this claimed relationship, being sure to address how each of the following design elements would apply to your study. — operational definition of variables — selection of participants — generalizability — two ethical considerations

b.

    The police chief concludes that watching violent television shows leads to teens’ committing violent crimes in New City. Do you support her conclusion? Explain your response.