AP Psychology 2.2.A: Thinking and Decision Making

Explore AP Psychology 2.2.A questions on concepts, schemas, problem-solving strategies, judgment biases, executive functions, and creative thinking.

Exam points

Apply concepts, prototypes, schemas, assimilation and accommodation to explain thinking and learning.
Distinguish algorithms from heuristics and explain how framing or prior experience influences judgments.
Explain how executive functions, fixedness or divergent thinking affect problem-solving and creativity.

[Maximum number: 1]

Annabelle is planning to apply to college but has not yet decided where she will apply. Describe how the

following psychological concepts and terms relate to her choice.

- Availability heuristic

- Compliance

- Prefrontal cortex

Availability heuristic

Point 1: Availability heuristic

Students must establish that Annabelle's decision-making processes or her choices about college, or

both, are influenced by information that comes most readily to mind (e.g., "pops into her mind," "first

thing she thinks of," "automatically," "immediately").

Notes

- The example must include a cognitive component.

- The emphasis must be on the "immediacy" of the solution, not why it comes to mind. Recency,

vividness, or distinctiveness, without a reference to "immediacy," does not score.

Examples

Score

"Annabelle hears an ad for State U. When it's time to decide on a college, State U will be the first

one she thinks of."

Do not score

"She went there because her brother went there."

AP ${ }^{\text {® }}$ PSYCHOLOGY

2012 SCORING GUIDELINES

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2.2.A—Explain how psychological concepts and theories account for thinking, problem-solving, judgment, and… question 1