Evidence-Based Question (EBQ)

The Evidence-Based Question (EBQ) gives you three summarized peer-reviewed sources on a common topic and asks you to develop an argument. You'll have 45 minutes total (including a 15-minute reading period) to analyze the sources and write your response.

This question tests your ability to:

• Develop a clear claim based on psychological science
• Select relevant evidence from multiple sources
• Apply psychological concepts to explain your evidence
• Use different psychological perspectives to support your argument

Step-by-Step Guide to Each Part

Part A: Proposing a Claim (1 point)

What it asks: "Propose a specific and defensible claim based in psychological science that responds to the question."

How to approach it:

• Make a clear, direct statement that answers the question
• Take a specific position that can be defended with evidence
• Be precise (e.g., "Schools should start at 9:00 am" rather than "Schools should start later")
• Ensure your claim is related to psychological concepts

Example question: "Using the sources provided, develop and justify an argument about the best time for school to start for students in grades 6 to 12."

Strong claims:

• "Secondary schools should start at 9:00 am to align with adolescent sleep patterns and optimize learning."
• "School for secondary students should start two hours later than elementary students to accommodate developmental differences in sleep needs."

Weak claims:

• "Sleep is important for teenagers." (too vague)
• "Determining school start time is difficult." (doesn't take a position)
• "Students should get more sleep." (doesn't address school start times specifically)

Part B (i): First Evidence (1 point)

What it asks: "Support your claim using at least one piece of specific and relevant evidence from one of the sources."

How to approach it:

• Choose the strongest evidence that directly supports your claim
• Be specific - cite exact statistics, findings, or statements
• Must properly cite the source (either parenthetical or embedded)
• The evidence must be relevant to your claim

Citation formats:

• Parenthetical: "...28% of students reported falling asleep in school at least once a week (Source 1)."
• Embedded: "According to Source 1, 28% of students reported falling asleep in school at least once a week."

Strong evidence:

• "According to Source 2, a convenience sample of 116 school administrators reported that a delayed school start time resulted in fewer students falling asleep in class."
• "When schools implemented later start times, standardized test scores increased by 2% (Source 3)."

Weak evidence:

• "Sources say secondary school start time should be 9:00 am." (no specific citation)
• "Students are often tired." (too vague, no citation)

Part B (ii): First Explanation and Application (2 points)

What it asks: "Explain how the evidence from Part B (i) supports your claim using a psychological perspective, theory, concept, or research finding learned in AP Psychology."

This part is worth 2 points:

For 1 point:

• Clearly connect the evidence to your claim
• Show the logical relationship between the evidence and your position
• Explain why this evidence supports your argument
• Answer the question: "Why does this evidence prove my point?"

For 2 points (additional):

• Apply a specific psychological concept, theory, or perspective from the AP Psychology curriculum
• Name the concept explicitly (e.g., "From a biological psychology perspective..." or "Research on circadian rhythms shows...")
• Explain how this psychological principle makes the evidence more convincing
• Show the underlying psychological mechanisms at work

Example: Claim: "Secondary schools should start at 9:00 am." Evidence: "28% of students reported falling asleep in school at least once a week (Source 1)."

1-point explanation: "This evidence supports my claim because starting school later would give students more time to sleep, which would reduce the number of students falling asleep during class."

2-point explanation and application: "This evidence supports my claim because starting school later aligns with adolescents' biological sleep-wake cycle. Research on circadian rhythms shows that during puberty, melatonin (the sleep hormone) is released later in the evening, making it difficult for teens to fall asleep early. Starting school at 9:00 am would better accommodate this biological change, reducing sleep deprivation and the tendency to fall asleep in class."

Part C (i): Second Evidence (1 point)

What it asks: "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)."

How to approach it:

• Select evidence from a DIFFERENT source than used in Part B (i)
• Again, be specific and relevant to your claim
• Must properly cite the source
• Choose evidence that brings in a new angle or strengthens a different aspect of your argument
• Look for complementary evidence that addresses a different dimension of the issue

Strong evidence:

• "Source 3 reported that students' GPAs increased by 0.15 points when school start times were delayed by one hour."
• "According to Source 1, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow students to get sufficient sleep."

Weak evidence:

• "Source 2 shows that sleep is important." (too vague)
• "According to Source 1..." (using the same source as Part B)
• "Students do better with more sleep." (not cited properly)

Part C (ii): Second Explanation and Application (2 points)

What it asks: "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)."

This part is also worth 2 points:

For 1 point:

• Connect this new evidence to your claim
• Explain the logical relationship
• Make it clear why this second piece of evidence supports your position

For 2 points (additional):

• Apply a DIFFERENT psychological concept than used in Part B (ii)
• The concept must be from the AP Psychology curriculum
• Name the concept explicitly
• Show how this new psychological principle supports your argument
• Must be a genuinely different concept (e.g., if you used biological psychology in Part B, use cognitive psychology or health psychology here)

Example: Claim: "Secondary schools should start at 9:00 am." Evidence: "Source 3 reported that students' GPAs increased by 0.15 points when school start times were delayed by one hour."

1-point explanation: "This evidence supports my claim because it shows that later start times are associated with better academic performance."

2-point explanation and application: "This evidence supports my claim because adequate sleep is critical for memory consolidation. During REM sleep, the brain processes and strengthens neural connections formed during learning, which enhances long-term memory storage. With more sleep due to later start times, students experience improved memory function, leading to better retention of material and higher academic achievement as reflected in the GPA increases."

Example Walkthrough

Let's apply this to an example using the sources provided:

Prompt: "Using the sources provided, develop and justify an argument about the best time for school to start for students in grades 6 to 12."

A. Claim: "Secondary schools should start no earlier than 8:30 am to better align with adolescent sleep patterns and improve both academic performance and student wellbeing."

B (i). First Evidence: "According to Source 2, a convenience sample of 116 school administrators who implemented delayed school start times reported that this change led to students getting more sleep and being more alert in morning classes."

B (ii). First Explanation and Application: "This evidence supports my claim because it shows that delayed start times directly address the problem of sleepiness in morning classes. From a biological psychology perspective, adolescents experience a shift in their circadian rhythm during puberty, causing them to naturally fall asleep later and wake later. Their bodies release melatonin (the sleep hormone) later in the evening compared to children and adults. Starting school after 8:30 am better accommodates this biological reality, allowing students to obtain adequate sleep and be more alert during their first morning classes."

C (i). Second Evidence: "Source 1 reports that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adolescents regularly sleep 8 to 10 hours per night for optimal health, and early school start times were identified as a major contributor to insufficient sleep in this age group."

C (ii). Second Explanation and Application: "This evidence strengthens my claim because it highlights the health consequences of early start times. From a health psychology perspective, chronic sleep deprivation is linked to numerous negative health outcomes, including increased risk of depression, anxiety, obesity, and compromised immune function. The stress response triggered by chronic sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels, which can impair cognitive functioning and emotional regulation. By starting school after 8:30 am, we would be promoting better overall physical and mental health among adolescents, creating conditions where they can better manage academic and social stressors."

Common Psychological Concepts You Could Apply

For B (ii) and C (ii), you need to apply different psychological concepts. Here are some examples relevant to the school start time question:

1. Biological Approaches:

   • Circadian rhythms (body's natural sleep-wake cycle)
   • Hormonal changes in adolescence (melatonin production)
   • Brain development during adolescence
   • Sleep stages and their functions

2. Cognitive Approaches:

   • Attention and concentration processes
   • Information processing models
   • Memory formation and consolidation
   • Executive functioning (planning, self-control, working memory)

3. Developmental Psychology:

   • Adolescent development stages
   • Changing sleep needs across the lifespan
   • Prefrontal cortex development
   • Identity formation and academic motivation

4. Health Psychology:

   • Stress response and hormones (cortisol)
   • Sleep hygiene and health behaviors
   • Mental health impacts of sleep deprivation
   • Relationship between physical health and academic performance

5. Social Psychology:

   • Family dynamics and morning routines
   • Peer influence on sleep habits
   • Social zeitgebers (time cues from social environment)
   • Social learning theory

Practical Tips for Success

During the Reading Period (15 minutes):

• First, read the prompt carefully to understand what claim you need to make
• Quickly skim all three sources to get a general understanding
• For each source, identify and underline 2-3 key pieces of evidence that could support various positions
• Think about which psychological concepts could be applied to explain the evidence
• Decide on your claim based on the available evidence
• Plan which evidence will go in Part B and which in Part C
• Consider different psychological concepts you could use for each part

When Writing (30 minutes):

• Spend about 5 minutes on Part A (claim)
• Spend about 10 minutes on Part B (first evidence and explanation)
• Spend about 10 minutes on Part C (second evidence and explanation)
• Save 5 minutes for review

Citation Guidelines:

• Every piece of evidence must be cited
• You can use either parenthetical citations (Source 1) or embedded citations ("According to Source 1...")
• All text before a citation is considered evidence
• All text after a citation is considered your reasoning/explanation
• Be consistent with your citation style throughout
• Remember: the reader needs to know exactly where your evidence comes from

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Making vague claims that don't take a clear position
• Using the same source for both Parts B and C
• Forgetting to cite your evidence properly
• Applying the same psychological concept in both Parts B (ii) and C (ii)
• Being too general with your evidence (need specific details)
• Failing to explain how the evidence connects to your claim
• Not using psychological concepts from the AP curriculum
• Misidentifying or incorrectly applying psychological concepts
• Providing opinion instead of evidence-based reasoning

Scoring Breakdown (7 Points Total)

Here's exactly how points are awarded:

• Part A: 1 point for a relevant, specific claim
• Part B (i): 1 point for correctly cited, specific evidence from one source
• Part B (ii): 2 points for explaining and applying a psychological concept
• Part C (i): 1 point for correctly cited evidence from a different source
• Part C (ii): 2 points for explaining and applying a different psychological concept

Final Tips for Earning All 7 Points

• Make sure your claim is specific, clear, and defensible
• Select evidence that directly supports your claim
• Use different sources for Parts B and C
• Apply different psychological concepts in Parts B (ii) and C (ii)
• Explicitly name the psychological concepts you're applying
• Connect everything back to your central claim
• Use complete sentences and appropriate psychological terminology
• Practice identifying and applying psychological concepts to evidence
• Remember to cite all evidence properly
• Be precise and specific throughout your response