AP Psychology Unit 2: Cognition

Point 2: A list of unrelated words, word recall

Any of the following are acceptable responses:

A. Description of how primacy, recency, or serial position influences word recall (these precise terms

are not required).

B. Description of a strategy (e.g., mnemonic device) to mentally rearrange, relocate, or manipulate

unrelated words to enhance recall. Or, students can address the inability to rearrange or

manipulate unrelated words, which will reduce recall.

C. Explanation of the location of a word in a list of unrelated words in working/short-term memory or

in long-term memory and how this influences recall.

AP ${ }^{\text {® }}$ PSYCHOLOGY

2012 SCORING GUIDELINES

Examples

Score

"The serial-position effect is demonstrated when people remember words at the beginning of the list."

Do not score

"Unrelated words can't be recalled." (No cognitive manipulation is explained.)

Point 4: Retinal disparity, depth perception

Any of the following are acceptable responses:

A. Each eye sees a slightly different view, which facilitates perception of depth, distance, or three

dimensions.

B. Location/separation of the two eyes (or retinas) facilitates depth perception.

C. Two slightly different images of an object facilitate depth perception.

D. Retinal disparity provides a binocular cue that facilitates depth perception.

Examples

Score

"Distance between the eyes creates two different images needed for good depth perception."

Do not score

"Retinal disparity, which helps depth perception, occurs in the brain." (The response does not refer to

the eye.)

AP ${ }^{\text {® }}$ PSYCHOLOGY

2012 SCORING GUIDELINES

Point 7: Proximity, perception

Students must indicate an understanding of proximity and its impact on a specific perceptual process.

Pathways include the following:

A. Near versus far objects, people, or sounds affect perception of a specific quality of objects, people,

or sounds.

B. When objects, people, or sounds are close to each other, we perceive a whole (Gestalt).

C. People or objects in close proximity to the observer are perceived more positively over time (mere

exposure).

Examples

Score

"When you look at a bunch of trees, the ones that are smaller and blurrier will seem to be farther from

you."

"If you see the same person over and over again, like in your class, after a while you start to like them."

Do not score

"If objects have proximity, it affects perception." (An understanding of proximity is not indicated.)

response must indicate that an individual in the scenario thinks about their own

thinking.

Acceptable explanations include:

Responses that refer to cognitive strategies that may be used to improve scores on their

quizzes, awareness of their knowledge or understanding, monitoring progress of their

learning, etc.

- Students in this study might keep track of how well they do, so they can study better

for each test.

Unacceptable explanations include:

Responses that refer to trying to do better, working harder, or listening better without

discussion of the individual's thinking about their thinking.

Responses that refer to thinking about anything other than an individual's own thinking

or the word "study" by itself without reference to some metacognitive process.

Responses that refer to anyone else's thinking about an individual's thinking.

- Students will need to work harder as they learn so they can do better.

- Students study more throughout the term.

- Students listen to what the teacher says about their thinking, which helps them do

better.

response must indicate either that Mr. Gomez used problem-solving tips that promoted deep processing and increased scores. OR The response must indicate that the group that did not receive the tips used shallow processing and scored worse. Acceptable explanations include: - Students who used the problem-solving strategies used deep processing and that helped them learn more in class. - Mr. Gomez's strategies worked well because they helped students process things more deeply. - Students who did not use the problem-solving strategies used shallow processing and learned less in class. Unacceptable explanations include: - Students who use their long-term memory do better than students who use their short-term memory. & 1 point

7 points

response must indicate that the independent variable is the use of mental imagery or

the instruction to use mental imagery.

Acceptable explanations include:

- The independent variable is the students being told to form a mental image.

- The independent variable is mental imagery.

Unacceptable explanations include:

- The independent variable is the students.

response must indicate that if the primacy effect took place, the students would

remember more of the words they heard at the beginning of the list than they did from other

parts of the list.

Acceptable explanations include:

- If students remember more words at the beginning of the list, then they have

demonstrated the primacy effect.

Unacceptable explanations include:

Describing serial position effect alone is not sufficient.

Describing primacy and recency without accurately identifying primacy does not score.

- The students remembered the words better if they studied them earlier.

response must indicate that students who did better/Group A used deep processing or

that students who did worse/Group B used shallow processing.

OR

The response must correctly relate mental imagery to deep processing.

Acceptable explanations include:

- Students used mental imagery which allowed them to process the words deeply.

- The students who had no instructions did worse because they used shallow processing.

Unacceptable explanations include:

- The researcher was interested in examining how mental imagery helps people.

- The mental imagery group used semantic encoding and did better.

7 points