Unit VI- Memory and Language
FRQ – Scoring Rubric
Tony Martinez sits down to take an exam in AP Psychology on Monday morning. He has an AP Biology
exam later in the afternoon. He studied Psychology from 7am until 1pm yesterday and then took a practice
exam. He then took a short break and studied Biology from 3pm until 11pm later in the day. Tony takes a
deep breath, picks up his pencil, and begins writing out his responses to the essay questions on the
Psychology Exam.
Provide a specific example of how each of the following concepts might apply to Tony's achievement on the
AP Exams he has to take.
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spacing effect
serial position effect
semantic encoding
retroactive interference
explicit (declarative) memory
sleep deprivation (be specific)
overconfidence
General Issues:
1. Answers must be presented in sentences, and sentences must be cogent enough for student’s meaning to be apparent.
Spelling and grammatical mistakes do not reduce a student’s score, but the spelling must be close enough so that the
reader is convinced of the word intended. No stand-alone pictures or outlines.
2. Within a point, students will not be penalized for misinformation unless it directly contradicts correct information that
would otherwise have scored a point.
3. Students can score points only if information is presented in context. This means that they must clearly convey which
part of the question is being addressed.
4. Definitions without application are not sufficient to score points. A definition may contribute to the answer, but
students must also provide a specific example related to some aspect of the situation above independent of the
definition.
 Example: “Retroactive interference occurs when an individual finds it difficult to retrieve old information due to
the new information they are learning. Therefore, Tony would find it difficult to remember much of what he
studied for AP Psychology since he studied for AP Biology afterwards.” (A specific example is provided)
 Do not score: “Retroactive interference occurs when an individual finds it difficult to retain old information due
to the new information they are learning.” (No specific example related to the given situation is provided).
5. Because definitions alone do not score points, if a student provides an incorrect definition but a correct application,
score the point based on application. However, if a definition is not provided, the example must illustrate that the
student knows what the concept means.
6. Examples that don’t explain how the concept will affect Tony’s achievement on the exam(s) do not score.
7. Examples provided for each point are not exhaustive.
POINT 1: Spacing Effect
 Tony would probably earn a higher score on his AP Psychology exam if he studied all the concepts for one hour every
day, four days before the exam. Since he is attempting to “cram” all of the information he needs to remember in one
study session, he may not be able to recall all of the information he would like.
Don’t Score:
o Tony should “space out” his studying. (You cannot use the term to define itself.)
POINT 2: Serial Position Effect
 Tony knows that when studying the different concepts, he is much more likely to remember the first and the last items
studies. He will most likely remember the first psychology concepts and the last biology concepts he studied. This
could negatively affect his score if he cannot encode the concepts that he studied in between.
POINT 3: Semantic Encoding
 While studying for his psychology exam, Tony attempts to remember the meaning of psychological terms and
concepts. This type of encoding is referred to as semantic encoding and it is the most effective way to encode
information. This will result in Tony doing very well on the exam.
POINT 4: Retroactive Interference
 After studying for AP Psychology, Tony concentrated his efforts on AP Biology. Tony may find it difficult to retain
the information he studied for AP Psychology, now that he is concentrating on encoding new information.
 Since the test is cumulative, Tony may have trouble remembering material that he learned earlier in the school year,
because newer material might interfere with his ability to retrieve the older information.
Don’t Score:
o The new information that Tony studied might interfere with older material (without reference to AP Biology and AP
Psychology or the fact that the test is cumulative).
POINT 5: Explicit (declarative) Memory
 Tony knows that the AP Psychology exam will test his explicit memory. In order to answer the essay correctly, he
must consciously know the information that he went over in class and studied at home. Being able to cite facts and
give examples will earn him the points he needs on his exam.
Don’t Score:
o Tony needs to be able to declare information on the exams if he is to earn a good grade.
POINT 6: Sleep Deprivation
 Tony could either be susceptible to the effects of sleep deprivation due to his intense study schedule, or the student
could say Tony made sure he got enough sleep in order to avoid the effects. The specific effects of sleep deprivation
include:
 Lessened memory capacity
 Depression
 Difficulty concentrating
 Weakened immune system
Don’t Score:
o Tony will extremely tired and this will negatively affect his exam grade.
POINT 7: Overconfidence
 After taking the practice AP Psychology exam, Tony scored high enough that he got a false sense of security in
his knowledge of the subject matter. Instead of using his available time to study more for AP Psychology, he
feels as though he doesn’t need to and spends his time doing other things. This could negatively affect his grade.
Don’t Score:
o An answer that does not include the passage of time.
Scoring scale:
7 of 7 = 30 points
6 of 7 = 28 points
5 of 7 = 26 points
4 of 7 = 24 points
3 of 7 = 22 points
2 of 7 = 20 points
1 of 7 = 18 points
0 of 7 = 15 points (for trying)