AP PSYCHOLOGY Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
Question Instructions:
This question has three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C. Use the three sources provided to answer all parts of the
question.
For Part B and Part C, you must cite the source that you used to answer the question. You can do this in two different
ways:
• Parenthetical Citation:
For example: “. . . (Source )”
• Embedded Citation:
For example: “According to Source , . . .”
Source 1
Introduction
Electronic devices are used widely across many cultures. Media screens include televisions, computers, tablets, and
smartphones. Parents and caregivers may wonder about the relationship between their children paying attention to media
screens and the cognitive changes that are described in developmental theories. This research study examined when
infants first experienced media screens, how often they were exposed to media screens, and their later cognitive
development. The researchers also considered mothers’ education levels and verbal interactions with their infants.
Participants
The researchers tracked mothers and their infant participants when the infants were at , , , , , and
months of age. The infants were healthy in terms of length of gestation, birth weight, growth patterns, and the presence of
diseases or disorders.
Method
At each session, the researchers asked the mothers how much time their infants were exposed to media screens while
awake during an average weekday. The mothers reported their own level of education and the age when their infants were
first exposed to media screens. Research participants completed an assessment when the infants were months,
months, and months of age. The assessment measures infant motor skills, visual reception, comprehension of spoken
words, and language formation.
Results and Discussion
On average, mothers reported that their infants’ first exposure to media screens occurred at one month of age. Screen
exposure was primarily to televisions, followed by tablets and smartphones, and computers. The data showed that when
mothers had more years of education, their infants were first exposed to media screens later than were infants whose
mothers had fewer years of education. Mothers with more years of education also exposed their children to fewer media
screens (correlation coefficient = ), and they verbally interacted more with their children during media screen
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Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
exposure (correlation coefficient = ). Participants who were exposed to hours of screen time per day, which was
considered a high level, scored lower for some motor skills and visual reception scales administered at months
(correlation coefficient = ), months (correlation coefficient = ), and months (correlation coefficient =
). The relationships between high levels of screen time and cognitive development were especially strong among
participants who were first exposed to screen media at an early age or when mothers did not verbally interact with the
participants during media screen exposure.
Supanitayanon, S., Trairatvorakul, P., & Chonchaiya, W. (2020). Screen media exposure in the first 2 years of life and preschool cognitive development: A longitudinal study. Pediatric
Research, 88, 894-902. [Link]
Source 2
Introduction
In the research study, participants completed mental imagery, working memory, and vocabulary tasks. Their parents
reported on when the participants were first exposed to media screens, how often exposure occurs, and the kinds of screen
devices used.
Participants
Two hundred sixty-six children between the ages of and years who attended pre- or primary school in Germany
participated in this study. For the majority ( ), one or both parents had a university degree. Most of the participants
spoke German at home, but of them spoke a language other than German at home.
Method
Parents of the children completed surveys to provide information about their children’s screen time and use across
different times of the day. Parents reported on different kinds of devices their children used and the age when children
first began using devices.
The children completed three cognitive tasks: a mental imagery task, a working memory task, and a vocabulary task.
• For the mental imagery task, the children were prompted to think about two objects and decide which of the two
objects better fit into a category provided by the researchers (e.g., “Which is shinier, [a] trumpet or [a] violin?”). The
researchers recorded the children’s responses on trials and how quickly they responded on each trial, and the task
was repeated at a later time
• For the working memory task, the children were read nine strings of numbers that varied in length from two, three, or
four digits. After each string, the children were asked to recall the string of numbers, but in the reverse order of how
the researchers presented it.
• For the vocabulary task, the children were shown pictures of objects and were asked to name each one.
Results and Discussion
The researchers found the most common type of media screen exposure was to television. On average, the children were
first exposed to screen media at almost years of age. Working memory, vocabulary, and mental imagery were positively
correlated to each other. On the mental imagery task, the researchers found a negative correlation between the amount of
screen time at Time and how accurate the children were on the task at Time .
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Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
Suggate, S. P., & Martzog, P. (2020). Screen-time influences children’s mental imagery performance. Developmental Science, 2020;23:e12978. [Link]
Source 3
Introduction
The researchers studied pregnant women who lived in Brazil, assessing their infants’ cognitive development over time.
The mothers also reported their own levels of education and how much time their children were exposed to media screens.
Participants
The researchers studied a randomly selected group of women who were up to -weeks pregnant and lived in Brazil.
The women gave informed consent to for their own and their children’s participation in the study, and the study was
approved by an ethics committee to ensure the participants’ welfare and well-being.
Method
The mothers completed assessments at four points during pregnancy and after birth. When the children were at months
of age, they completed an assessment that measures cognitive, language, motor, socio-emotional, and behavioral
components. Mothers reported their own level of education and how many hours their children were exposed to media
screens during a typical day.
Results and Discussion
The children’s performance on the cognitive tasks was better when their mothers had more education. Their mean
performance and standard deviation on the cognitive tasks as a function screen media exposure are:
Mean of the Cognitive Standard Deviation of the Cognitive
Media Screen Exposure
Tasks Tasks
No more than one hour each day
More than one hour, but less than two hours
daily
Two or more hours
The differences in these means are statistically significant.
Gastaud, L. M., Trettim, J. P., Scholl, C. C., Rubin, B. B., Coelho, F. T., Krause, G. B., Ferreira, N. M., de Matos, M. B., Pinheiro, R. T., & de Avila
Quevedo, L. (2023). Screen time: Implications for early childhood cognitive development. Early Human Development, 183, 1-5. [Link]
[Link].2023.105792
AP Psychology Page 3 of 8
Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
1. Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Using the sources provided, develop and justify an argument about the age at which parents should first allow
their children to be exposed to media screens.
A. Propose a specific and defensible claim based in psychological science that responds to the question.
B.
(i) Support your claim using at least one piece of specific and relevant evidence from one of the sources.
(ii) Explain how the evidence from Part B (i) supports your claim using a psychological perspective, theory,
concept, or research finding learned in AP Psychology.
C.
(i) Support your claim using an additional piece of specific and relevant evidence from a different source than the
one that was used in Part B (i).
(ii) Explain how the evidence from Part C (i) supports your claim using a different psychological perspective,
theory, concept, or research finding learned in AP Psychology than the one that was used in Part B (ii).
A. Propose a specific and defensible claim based in psychological science that responds to the question.
Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Additional Notes:
• A claim that meets the criteria can be awarded the points regardless of whether the responses in Parts B and C
successfully support the claim.
Select a score below.
0 1
Proposes a claim that is relevant to the question
Responses that earn 1 point:
• The response proposes a claim that suggests a positive or negative effect on the question.
• The response proposes a recommendation for the application of the question.
• The response proposes a specific effect on the question.
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Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
Examples that earn 1 point:
• “Infants should not be exposed to media screens until after they are 3 years old.”
• “Infants exposed to large amounts of media screens in later elementary school so they will not have deficits in
their cognitive development.”
• “The later that infants spend with media screens, the better their cognitive development will be in early
childhood.”
B. (i) Support your claim using at least one piece of specific and relevant evidence from one of the sources.
For Part B and Part C, you must cite the source that you used to answer the question. You can do this in two different
ways:
• Parenthetical Citation:
For example: “...(Source 1)”
• Embedded Citation:
For example: “According to Source 1,...”
Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Additional Notes:
• Responses that use correct citation style other than the method prescribed by the question can earn this point for
citing the source.
Select a score below.
0 1
Uses one piece of correctly cited, specific, and relevant evidence from one of the provided sources to support the claim.
Responses that earn 1 point:
• The evidence is correctly cited and provides specific evidence relevant to the claim.
Examples that earn 1 point:
• “Source 1 found that infants exposed to high levels of media screens had lower scores for such abilities as visual
memory.”
B. (ii) Explain how the evidence from Part B (i) supports your claim using a psychological perspective, theory,
concept, or research finding learned in AP Psychology.
For Part B and Part C, you must cite the source that you used to answer the question. You can do this in two different
ways:
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Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
• Parenthetical Citation:
For example: “...(Source 1)”
• Embedded Citation:
For example: “According to Source 1,...”
Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Additional Notes:
• The explanation and application points can be earned even if the response did not earn the point in B (i) due to
incorrectly cited and/or nonspecific evidence.
• The psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding must be explicitly identified in the AP
Psychology Course and Exam Description (2024).
• The presence of a citation indicates the sentence or phrase is intended to be evidence. All text before the citation
will be considered evidence. Text after a citation will be considered reasoning, unless accompanied by another
citation.
Select a score below.
0 1 2
Applies a psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding to explain how the evidence supports the claim.
Responses that earn 2 points:
• The response correctly interprets the evidence and applies a psychological perspective, theory, concept, or
research finding correctly.
Examples that earn 2 points:
• “Source 1’s finding that visual memory is lower when infants are exposed to high levels of screen media could
relate to how and when toddlers master object permanence. If their memory for visual information is lower, then
they may have challenges developing object permanence.”
C. (i) Support your claim using an additional piece of specific and relevant evidence from a different source than
the one that was used in Part B (i).
For Part B and Part C, you must cite the source that you used to answer the question. You can do this in two different
ways:
• Parenthetical Citation:
For example: “...(Source 1)”
• Embedded Citation:
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Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
For example: “According to Source 1,...”
Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Additional Notes:
• Responses that use correct citation style other than the method prescribed by the question can earn this point for
citing the source.
Select a score below.
0 1
Uses a different piece of correctly cited, specific, and relevant evidence from either of the other two provided sources to
support the claim.
Responses that earn 1 point:
• The evidence is correctly cited and provides specific evidence relevant to the claim.
Examples that earn 1 point:
• “Source 2 found that young children who were exposed to high levels of screen media at Time 1 were less
accurate in the mental imagery task at Time 2. “
• “Source 3 reported that toddlers who were exposed to more than two hours of screen media daily had lower
scores than those exposed to no more than an hour daily.”
C. (ii) Explain how the evidence from Part C (i) supports your claim using a different psychological perspective,
theory, concept, or research finding learned in AP Psychology than the one that was used in Part B (ii).
For Part B and Part C, you must cite the source that you used to answer the question. You can do this in two different
ways:
• Parenthetical Citation:
For example: “...(Source 1)”
• Embedded Citation:
For example: “According to Source 1,...”
Write the response to each part of the question in complete sentences. Use appropriate psychological terminology.
Additional Notes:
• The explanation and application points can be earned even if the response did not earn the point in C (i) due to
incorrectly cited and/or nonspecific evidence.
• The explanation and application points can be earned if the response uses the same source in both Parts B and C,
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Scoring Guide
Unit 3 Progress Check: FRQ EBQ
provided that the evidence used in Part B and Part C is different.
• The psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding must be explicitly identified in the AP
Psychology Course and Exam Description (2024) and is different from the perspective, theory, concept, or
research finding used in Part B.
• The presence of a citation indicates the sentence or phrase is intended to be evidence. All text prior to the citation
will be considered evidence. Text after a citation will be considered reasoning, unless accompanied by another
citation.
Select a score below.
0 1 2
Applies a different psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding to explain how the evidence supports
the claim. The psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding is different from the one used in Part B (ii).
Responses that earn 2 points:
• The response correctly interprets the evidence and applies a psychological perspective, theory, concept, or
research finding that is different from the one used in Part B.
Examples that earn 2 points:
• “These studies support the claim that screen media exposure can impair cognitive development because the
brain becomes proficient in processing audio and visual information, and other forms of sensory processing may
not be as strong.”
• “The lower ability to use mental imagery to represent the external environment shows that young children may
not have mastered the concrete operational stage of Piaget’s developmental theory.”
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