Social Studies Department Philosophy and Goals



A.P. Psychology

Course Guide

Mercer Island High School

Overview of the course

Title: AP Psychology

Textbook: Myers, David G. Psychology. Holland, Michigan: Worth Publishers, 8th ed. 2007.

Suggested Supplemental Materials:

Hock, Roger. Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research. New York: Prentice Hall, 5th ed. 2004.

Myers Textbook Companion Website (choose the textbook, and it will take you to the companion website)

Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink. New York: Back Bay, 2007.

Brown, Alan and Chris Logan, eds. The Psychology of the Simpsons. Texas: Banbella Books, 2005.

Sacks, Oliver. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Touchstone: Simon and Schuster, 1985.

Medina, John. Brain Rules. Seattle: Pear Press, 2008.

Zimbardo, Philip. The Lucifer Effect. New York: Random House, 2007.

Various psychology journals, websites and databases

Videos:

Nova The Wild Child

PBS Secret Life of the Brain

Frontline: The Persuaders

A&E Biography: Sigmund Freud

Course Description:

This rigorous course provides students with a systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice, particularly when they design and complete their own research-based psychology study. Assignments will include quizzes and tests, research papers, written reflections, group and individual projects, and daily reading notes. In addition to the text, readings will be taken from supplemental, scholarly articles. The aim of the course is to provide a learning experience equivalent to that of an introductory college psychology course.

Course Objectives:

1. Students who are taking the Advanced Placement Examination in Psychology will

score a “3” or higher.

2. Students will study the major core concepts and theories of psychology and assess

some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists, including the biological,

behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives.

They will be able to define key terms and use them in their everyday vocabulary.

3. Students will learn the basic principles of psychological research. They will be able to

devise simple research projects, interpret and generalize from results, and evaluate the

validity of research reports.

4. Students will be able to apply psychological concepts to their own lives. They will be

able to recognize psychological principles when they are encountered in everyday

situations.

5. Students will develop critical thinking skills. They will become aware of the danger

of blindly accepting or rejecting arguments without careful, objective evaluation.

6. Students will build their reading, writing, and discussion skills.

7. Students will learn about psychology as a profession and become aware of the

educational requirements which must be met to pursue such careers. They will learn

about the ethical standards governing the work of psychologists.

Content Outline:

|Unit |Topics |Concepts |Essential Questions |

|1 |History and |History of psychology |In what ways does psychology approach the study|

| |Approaches |Psychological perspectives |of human and animal behavior? |

| |(Prologue) | |How do the different perspectives in psychology|

| | | |compare and contrast? |

| | | |Who were the movers and shakers in the |

| | | |evolution of psychology as a science? |

|2 |Research Methods |Experimental method |How do psychologists use the scientific method |

| |(Ch. 1) |Correlational method |to study behavior and mental processes? |

| | |Naturalistic |Which methods of research are appropriate for |

| | |Observation |the study of different behaviors? |

| | |Case studies |How do psychologists draw appropriate |

| | |Data analysis/Statistics |conclusions about behavior from research? |

| | |APA Ethical Guidelines |How do psychologists make ethical decisions |

| | | |about researching behavior? |

|1st Exam | | | |

|3 |Social Psychology |Attribution Theory/Attitudes vs. |How do people explain the behavior of others? |

| |(Ch. 18) |behaviors |How are individuals affected by groups? |

| | |The Influence of others on an |How do psychologists define culture? What |

| | |individual’s behavior |influence does culture have on individuals and |

| | |Attraction |groups? |

| | |Aggression/Altruism | |

| | |Stereotypes, prejudice and | |

| | |discrimination | |

| | |Cross-cultural psychology | |

|4 |Learning (Ch. 8) |Classical conditioning |How do psychologists define learning? |

| | |Operant conditioning |How do principles of classical, operant, and |

| | |Observational learning |observational learning work to create learning?|

|2ndExam | | | |

| |Guided Course Work |Research | |

| | |Hypothesis development | |

| | |Literature Review | |

|5 |Biological Bases of |Neuro-anatomy |How do biological processes relate to behavior?|

| |Behavior (Ch. 2 &3) |Nervous system |How does damage to a biological process affect |

| | |Brain |behavior? |

| | |Endocrine system | |

| | |Genetics | |

| | |Nature versus nurture debate | |

|3rd Exam | | | |

|6 |Sensation and |Thresholds |How do the 5 senses receive and translate |

| |Perception (Ch. 5&6)|Sensory mechanisms |signals to the brain for processing? |

| | |Sensory adaptation |How does each sense affect behavior? |

| | |Attention |How do sensation and perception differ? |

| | |Perceptual processes | |

|4th Exam | | | |

|7 |Motivation & Emotion|Motivation |In what ways are humans motivated to behave? |

| |(Ch. 12, 13) |Emotion |How can one increase motivation to behave in |

| | | |certain ways? |

| | | |What role do emotions play in behavior? |

|Review/Semester Final | |100 multiple choice | |

|Exam | |2 free-response | |

| | |cumulative | |

|News reporting | |Analysis of psychology in everyday | |

| | |life | |

|8 |Developmental |Research methods |How do people grow and develop physically, |

| |Psychology (Ch. 4) |Prenatal Influences/Infancy |socially and intellectually throughout the |

| | |Adolescence |lifespan? |

| | |Aging | |

| | |Stage theories | |

|9 |Testing and |Reliability and validity |How do psychologists define and study |

| |Individual |Types of tests |intelligence? |

| |Differences (Ch. 11)|Theories of intelligence |How did the use of intelligence tests evolve |

| | |Intelligence tests |throughout the last two centuries? |

| | | |How do psychologists know whether a test is |

| | | |reliable and/or valid? |

|5th Exam | | | |

|10 |Cognition (Ch. 9 & |Memory |How do humans encode, store, and retrieve |

| |10) |Language |information from memory? |

| | |Thinking |How do humans think? |

| | | |How do humans acquire language and use it to |

| | | |communicate ideas? |

|6th Exam | | | |

|11 |Personality (Ch. 15)|Psychodynamic |How do psychologists define and study |

| | |theories of |personality? |

| | |personality |What advantages and limitations exist for each |

| | |Trait theories of personality |theory’s description of personality? |

| | |Social-cognitive theories of | |

| | |personality | |

| | |Humanistic theories of personality | |

|12 |States of |Consciousness |How do psychologists define consciousness? |

| |Consciousness (Ch. |Sleep |What happens during the sleep cycle? |

| |7) |Dreams |How does lack of and REM and NREM sleep affect |

| | |Hypnosis |behavior? |

| | |Drugs | |

|7th Exam | | | |

|13 |Psychological |Defining abnormality |How do psychologists measure and define |

| |Disorders (Ch. 16) |Anxiety disorders |abnormal behavior? |

| | |Somatoform disorders |How are the various psychological disorders |

| | |Dissociative disorders |identified and studied? |

| | |Mood of affective disorders | |

| | |Schizophrenic disorders | |

| | |Personality disorders | |

| | | | |

|14 |Treatment of |Psychodynamic theory |What are the treatment options for the various |

| |Psychological |Humanistic therapies |types of psychological disorders? |

| |Disorders (Ch. 17) |Behavioral therapies | |

| | |Cognitive therapies | |

| | |Somatic therapies | |

|15 |Stress (Ch. 14) |Stress |What are the three stages of Hans Seyle’s GAS? |

| | |Coping |How does stress affect the immune system? |

| | |Health |What are the main coping strategies? |

|8th Exam | | | |

|Final Exam | | | |

|AP Testing | | | |

|Final Project |Guided Course Work | | |

|News reporting | |Analysis of psychology in everyday | |

| | |life | |

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