2015, Question 1 · 8 points
Testing whether sugar causes hyperactivity
Explain why people might readily believe a flawed correlational study linking party snacks to hyperactive children, design a follow-up experiment with a hypothesis, measure and random assignment, and sketch a labeled bar graph showing no effect.
This exam had two free-response questions to answer in 50 minutes, together worth one third of the total score, and the directions asked for a reasoned answer using psychological terms rather than a list of facts. The current exam has 2 free-response questions in 70 minutes. The skills these questions practice still count.
Lessons this question draws on
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's, from the 2015 exam. It starts on page 2 of the PDF. College Board no longer posts this exam, so it opens from the copy of College Board's PDF that the Internet Archive saved on January 22, 2024.
2 Write your answer
Answer each part the way you would on the exam, in full sentences, with your work shown. Your writing saves as you type.
3 Score it
Score your answer against College Board's scoring guidelines, one point at a time. Give yourself a point only when your answer says what the guideline asks for.
Scoring guidelines (PDF, page 2) What the exam readers saw (Student Performance Q&A)
Question, scoring guidelines and Chief Reader report: College Board, from the Internet Archive. The title, summary are ours.