Data Blueprint Worksheet
AP Statistics Practice Unit 3: Collecting Data
Data Blueprint Worksheet
Identifying Data Collection Methods
Name:
Date/PD:
Directions: For each research scenario below, identify the appropriate data collection method: Survey, Experiment, Observational Study, or Simulation.
Scenario 1: An investigation of the association between weekly physical exercise hours and resting heart rate in adult women, without altering their active lifestyles.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 2: A study investigating if organic fertilizer compound increases heirloom tomato plant biomass. Eighty saplings are randomly assigned to receive either organic or standard brand.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 3: Evaluates support for a local tax increase to fund public transit expansion by calling a random sample of 500 registered voters to record their stances.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 4: Models the probability that an emergency room with four beds experiences wait times over an hour, assuming Poisson arrival rates and exponential treatment times.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 5: Examines if childhood exposure to lead-paint residue in pre-1970 homes is associated with lower reading comprehension percentiles in current third-grade students.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 6: Evaluates a therapeutic anxiety app. One hundred volunteers are randomly assigned to either use the app daily or read standard self-help literature.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 7: Estimates the proportion of high school teachers who feel class sizes are unmanageable using an anonymous digital survey sent to 250 randomized teachers.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 8: Models the likelihood of a nationwide logistics network shutdown due to multi-hub weather delays, utilizing historical weather probability distributions.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 9: Studies the association between school type (public vs. private) and career satisfaction in graduates aged 35 to 40, recording their current self-reported tiers.
Appropriate Method:
Scenario 10: Tests if consuming dark chocolate daily reduces systolic blood pressure. Fifty pre-hypertensive volunteers are randomly assigned to chocolate or calorie-matched placebo.
Appropriate Method:
Unit 3: Collecting Data • Practice Sheet Page 1 of 2
Teacher Resource Unit 3: Collecting Data
Data Blueprint Answer Key
Scoring Standards & Exemplar College Board Justifications
Focus: Methods of Data Collection • AP Alignment
Scoring Criteria: Award 1 point for identifying the correct method and 1 point for a sound justification. High-quality justifications must explicitly reference the presence/absence of active treatment imposition or the use of a mathematical model.
Scenario 1: Physical exercise hours and resting heart rate (no life modification).
Method: Observational Study Justification: Observe/measure existing habits and heart rates without imposing any treatment.
Scenario 2: Dry biomass of heirloom tomato plants (random assignment to fertilizers).
Method: Experiment Justification: Treatments are actively imposed and randomly assigned to saplings to compare results.
Scenario 3: Municipal transit agency calling a random sample of 500 registered voters.
Method: Survey Justification: Selects a sample from the population to self-report opinions without any manipulated conditions.
Scenario 4: Probability modeling for busy emergency department bottlenecks.
Method: Simulation Justification: Replicates physical queues using mathematical models because direct trial is unethical/impractical.
Scenario 5: Lead-paint exposure and cognitive delays in current third-grade students.
Method: Observational Study Justification: Measures pre-existing exposures; actively imposing toxic lead on children is highly unethical.
Scenario 6: Evaluation of a cognitive behavioral therapy app vs. self-help literature.
Method: Experiment Justification: Treatments are deliberately imposed on subjects randomly assigned to the treatment groups.
Scenario 7: Anonymous feedback forms sent to 250 school teachers on class size.
Method: Survey Justification: Directly collects self-reported feedback from a representative, randomized subset of the target population.
Scenario 8: Nationwide logistics shutdown model using weather parameters.
Method: Simulation Justification: Uses probability tables to mimic extreme systems where actual experimentation is impossible.
Scenario 9: Public vs. private school types and mid-career salary satisfaction levels.
Method: Observational Study Justification: Compares self-selected groups (public/private school grads) without imposing any treatment.
Scenario 10: Dark chocolate consumption and blood pressure (50 randomized pre-hypertensives).
Method: Experiment Justification: Treatments (chocolate vs. placebo) are actively imposed and randomly assigned to volunteers.
Unit 3: Collecting Data • Answer Key Page 2 of 2
