AP Psychology case studies
AP Psychology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
AP Psychology is an Advanced Placement course and exam administered by the College Board. It is designed to be equivalent to a one-semester, introductory college psychology course, and the College Board lists no recommended prerequisites. The course asks students to connect psychological concepts and theories to real-life scenarios, understand and interpret data, and analyze research studies. Content is organized into five units: Biological Bases of Behavior, Cognition, Development and Learning, Social Psychology and Personality, and Mental and Physical Health; each unit accounts for 15%–25% of the exam score. The AP Psychology case studies are 5 cases and about 2,780 words.
1The Split-Brain Grocery List
A 34-year-old patient underwent surgical severing of the corpus callosum to control refractory epilepsy and has recovered well. In a lab task, a word is flashed for 120 ms to the left visual field only while the patient fixates on a central cross.
558 words, about 3 min2The All-Nighter Before the Exam
A student has an exam at 8 a.m. On Saturday she studies for 9 hours straight in one room, rereading the textbook and highlighting, and feels fluent: 'I know this cold.' She sleeps 4 hours.
530 words, about 3 min3The Toddler Who Won't Eat and the Teen Who Won't Sleep
A parent describes two children. Child A, age 2 , used to say 40+ words; over 6 weeks she has stopped using most words, avoids eye contact, repeats phrases from videos verbatim, and lines up toys instead of pretending.
568 words, about 3 min4The Interview Panel and the Group Project
A hiring manager interviews two candidates. Candidate X is charming, makes strong eye contact, and shares the manager's hobby; the manager rates X 'clearly the strongest' despite X scoring lower on a structured work-sample test.
546 words, about 3 min5The Headache, the Panic, and the Pain Scale
A 41-year-old reports 6 months of daily headaches, fatigue, and poor sleep. Medical workup is negative.
578 words, about 3 min