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IB PSYCHOLOGY STANDARD LEVEL (SL):

COURSE OUTLINE, OVERVIEW, LEARNING OUTCOMES, AND PROCEDURES

Mr. Detjen Metro High School

2014-2015

Textbooks and Resources

Crane and Hannibal, Psychology Course Companion (Oxford, 2009)

Hock, Forty Studies that Changed Psychology 5/e (Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2005)

Articles, Readings, Studies, and Handouts

Course Description and Objectives

IB Psychology at Metro Academic and Classical High School is a senior-only Social Studies elective course whose required prerequisite is Introduction to Psychology, itself an elective course offered only to Metro upperclassmen. In other words, only seniors who have taken and passed the introductory course as juniors may opt to enroll in IB Psychology SL. The course is designed to meet the rigorous and challenging curriculum requirements and standards of the International Baccalaureate Organization for psychology. This course will introduce students to the various methods of psychological inquiry, with particular emphasis on research methodologies in empirical (scientific) psychology and will focus on the biological, the cognitive, and the sociocultural perspectives, known in IB as levels of analysis, of human behavior. The course will also devote some time to one additional topic of human behavior. Students in this course are required sit for the IB Psychology exam in May of next year, consisting of two specific papers (tests), and to replicate one simple psychological experiment in the course of this year, the Internal Assessment (IA), which will comprise a portion of their final grade. In the processes of the very demanding reading, critical thinking, and writing schedule, students will develop an appreciation of psychology both as an academic discipline and as a body of knowledge that is relevant to the student’s own life. This course prepares students for the required IB SL examination in psychology.

Classroom Procedures, Conduct, and Policies

CLASS PARTICIPATION AND DEPORTMENT: This course will be conducted in a professional manner and with the utmost seriousness of purpose, though I also promise that there’s also lots of fun to be had in the process. We share two essential jobs: one is teaching and the other is learning, and while one of us will do most of the first and the others of us will do most of the second, ideally we will both do some amount of teaching and learning. I am devoted to both of those processes. It is my position that the task of learning is proactive and a matter of determination. Ultimately, I cannot make you learn; learning—or not—will be your choice, and evident in the commitment and dedication you choose, the actions you take and the behaviors you exhibit. The course is note-, text-, discussion-, and document-driven, and the processes of teaching and learning will involve reading for comprehension and interpretation, the development of effective note-taking skills, critical thinking and analysis, and then effective communication through both a Socratic methodology of question-and-answer discussion, as well as written assignments, presentations, and testing, all of which presuppose solid content knowledge. Opinions without benefit and specific support of textual evidence have no value in an academic classroom setting. Come to class fully prepared, with all assignments (reading and/or written) completed on time. Finally, it is critical that students participate in class by asking questions, listening to questions asked by others, and discussing the issues and topics under consideration. We all learn from one another, so speak up, speak out, and speak often. I absolutely encourage you to raise pertinent questions and offer pertinent observations about the material on a regular basis. That said, I also absolutely discourage (read forbid) private conversations of any kind while class is in session. Social time ends the moment you walk through the portals of the classroom; any and all talking should benefit the entire class, not interrupt, distract from, or disrupt it. In other words, students (and teachers) are expected to act with respect for themselves, other students, and the goals and purposes of the class itself. Ours is academic time, not personal time. Students who act in ways deemed by the teacher to be contrary to the standards and objectives of the course risk expulsion from class, disciplinary referrals to the administration, parental phone calls or conferences and other consequences, all of which are avoidable. Please make the deliberate choice to conduct yourself in a responsible and considerate manner.

ATTENDANCE: There is a marked correlation between doing well and attending class faithfully. Please be on time every day, in no small part because I shall make announcements and ‘do administrative business’ at the start of class, but also because it is discourteous and disruptive to interrupt a class already in progress. NB (Lat. Nota bene, “be well advised”): this class, this year, meets 1st period on “A” days. It therefore begins at 7:10AM. Promptly. Set your alarms, lay out your clothes, leave your home with enough time to be in room 121, seated, attentive, prepared and ready at 7:10AM. I shall allow one tardy per semester. After the one and only, if a student is late, he/she will not be allowed to enter class, and will have to make up the work on his/her own time. I see no reason, in this elective course comprised of seniors at the magnet school for gifted children, to allow any one student to disrupt or disrespect the class. Be on time or be elsewhere. In the final analysis it is the student’s responsibility to make sure he/she is abreast of all classroom, administrative, and academic matters. The student is responsible for all assignments, notes, information and discussions—in sum, for his/her own learning.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: Neither the Social Studies Department nor Metro High School nor I tolerate plagiarism or any form of dishonesty on exams or written assignments. I shall distribute “Academic Integrity,” a policy statement of what constitutes academic honesty in my classes. Metro IB Psychology is an elective course offered (limited) to Seniors who have passed the required prerequisite AP Psychology in their Junior year, and you are responsible for knowing and complying with the rules and regulations that I have determined for the course. The expectation and assumption is of honor, integrity, honesty, and of a commitment to active learning. In brief summary, if you choose to behave dishonestly on an assignment designed for individual student learning and achievement, on that first occasion (out of respect and awareness that all people/students make mistakes) I shall deal with the situation between teacher and student, and will award a “0” for that assignment or test with no chance to make up that assignment, or grant the opportunity to make up that assignment for minimal passing credit (70%). In the unfortunate event that you choose to behave a second time in an academically dishonest manner, I shall bring the matter to the attention of the principal and your parents. The purpose of that conference will be to inform your parents of now ongoing academically dishonest behavior and to make clear that a third infraction will result in an official 1-day suspension that will then be part of your permanent record, and so available to college admission officers. Please respect and honor yourself and your mind in these matters.

Course Units and their Chronology

Fall Term: Spring Term:

The Cognitive Level of Analysis The Biological Level of Analysis

Research Methodologies The Sociocultural Level of Analysis

The Internal Assessment The Option: Developmental Psychology

Units of Study: The Levels of Analysis

1. The Biological Level of Analysis

Overview (from the IB Psychology Guide (2011)

At the most basic level of analysis, human beings are biological systems. Our cognitions, emotions and behaviors are products of the anatomy and physiology of our nervous and endocrine systems. Over the last few centuries, discoveries have shown that:

• the nature of the nervous system is electrical in part (Galvani)

• different areas of the brain carry out different functions (Broca)

• small gaps exist between nerve cells that require the action of chemicals to carry neural transmissions across these gaps

• hormones play an important role in our psychological functioning.

Since the 1960s, with the invention and development of brain imaging technologies (for example, CAT (computerized axial tomography), PET (positron emission tomography), fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)) it has become possible to directly study living brains in action as various tasks are performed, and to correlate specific areas of brain damage with specific changes in a person’s personality or cognitive abilities. Advances in psychopharmacology—the field of medicine that addresses the balance of chemicals in the brain—have led to the development of new medications for problems as diverse as depression, anxiety disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.

After Darwin published his theory of evolution through natural selection, animals came to be studied in order to shed light on human behavior. With the completion of the human genome project, the chimpanzee genome project, and with other species having the full structure of their DNA mapped, the contribution of genes to our cognitions, emotions and behavior is becoming better understood. Behavioral genetics takes the skills of biological analysis used to study the differences between species and applies these skills to studying individual differences in humans. These are the components at the biological level of analysis needed to understand our complex biological system and the psychological functions it supports.

Learning Outcomes (the primary foci of our study and attention throughout the course)

General learning outcomes

1. Outline principles that define the biological level of analysis (for example, patterns of behavior can be inherited; animal research may inform our understanding of human behavior; cognitions, emotions and behaviors are products of the anatomy and physiology of our nervous and endocrine systems).

2. Explain how principles that define the biological level of analysis may be demonstrated in research (that is, theories and/or studies).

3. Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the biological level of analysis (for example, experiments, observations, correlational studies).

4. Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the biological level of analysis.

Physiology and behavior

1. Explain one study related to localization of function in the brain (for example, Wernicke, Broca, Gazzaniga and Sperry).

2. Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behavior (for example, the effect of noradrenaline on depression).

3. Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior.

4. Discuss two effects of the environment on physiological processes (for example, effects of jet lag on bodily rhythms, effects of deprivation on neuroplasticity, effects of environmental stressors on reproductive mechanisms).

4. Examine one interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behavior (for example, agnosia, anosognosia, prosapagnosia, amnesia). Evaluate two relevant studies.

5. Discuss the use of brain imaging technologies (for example, CAT, PET, fMRI) in investigating the relationship between biological factors and behavior.

Genetics and behavior

1. With reference to relevant research studies, to what extent does genetic inheritance influence behavior?

2. Examine one evolutionary explanation of behavior.

3. Discuss ethical considerations in research into genetic influences on behavior.

2. The Cognitive Level of Analysis

Overview (from the IB Psychology Guide (2011)

At the second level of analysis, the products of our biological machinery can be seen in our cognitive system, which includes our cognitions, emotions and behaviors.

Around the 1950s psychologists began systematically to explore cognition to further understanding of human behavior. This shift in focus from studying observable behavior to studying mental processes, such as memory and perception, is called “the cognitive revolution”. Cognitive psychologists suggested that humans form internal mental representations that guide behavior, and they developed a range of research methods to study these. In recent years, researchers within social and cultural psychology have used findings from cognitive psychologists to understand how mental processes may be influenced by social and cultural factors.

Cognitive psychology represents a vast array of research areas including cognitive psychology, cognitive science, cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. Topics such as memory, perception, artificial intelligence, amnesia and social cognition are studied. Cognitive psychologists use traditional research methods (for example, experiments and verbal protocols) but there is an increasing focus on the use of modern technology.

Cognitive psychologists collaborate increasingly with neuroscientists, social psychologists and cultural psychologists in order to explore the complexity of human cognition. This approach is illustrated in the field of cultural and social cognitive neuroscience, indicating the complementary nature of social, cognitive and biological levels of analysis. Research that integrates these three levels can develop more meaningful theories to explain the mechanisms underlying complex behavior and the mind.

Learning Outcomes

General learning outcomes

1. Outline principles that define the cognitive level of analysis (for example, mental representations guide behavior, mental processes can be scientifically investigated).

2. Explain how principles that define the cognitive level of analysis may be demonstrated in research (that is, theories and/or studies).

3. Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the cognitive level of analysis (for example, experiments, observations, interviews).

4. Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the cognitive level of analysis.

Cognitive processes

1. Evaluate schema theory with reference to research studies.

2. Evaluate two models or theories of one cognitive process (for example, memory, perception, language, decision-making) with reference to research studies.

3. Explain how biological factors may affect one cognitive process (for example, Alzheimer’s disease, brain damage, sleep deprivation).

4. Discuss how social or cultural factors affect one cognitive process (for example, education, carpentered-world hypothesis, effect of video games on attention).

5. With reference to relevant research studies, to what extent is one cognitive process reliable (for example, reconstructive memory, perception/visual illusions, decision-making/heuristics)?

6. Discuss the use of technology in investigating cognitive processes (for example, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans in memory research, fMRI scans in decision-making research).

Cognition and emotion

1. To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion (for example, two factor theory, arousal theory, Lazarus’ theory of appraisal)?

2. Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process (for example, state-dependent memory, flashbulb memory, affective filters).

3. The Sociocultural Level of Analysis

Overview (from the IB Psychology Guide (2011)

At the third level of analysis, the biological and cognitive systems that make up the individual are embedded in an even larger system of interrelationships with other individuals. At its beginning, psychology largely confined itself to the study of the individual acting alone. As the discipline matured, a few psychologists recognized that human behavior could be fully understood only if the social context in which behavior occurred was also taken into account. This recognition led to many investigations of social influence, that is, how the presence and behavior of one or a few people affect the behavior and attitudes of another individual. It also provided a broader context for exploring topics such as aggression and helping behavior that had largely been regarded as individual personality traits.

Although there has long been an exchange between the sciences of psychology and anthropology, the study of culture has largely been the province of anthropology. Recently, as many societies have become more multicultural, the need to understand the effect of culture on a person’s behavior has risen to a new prominence. Social psychologists saw the need not only to achieve an understanding of the role of culture in human behavior, but also to devise means for alleviating problems that arise from misunderstandings when individuals from different cultures come into contact with each other.

In what appeared to be a contrary movement, as social psychologists turned their attention to exploring the power of culture, other investigators were focusing attention on the biological bases of human social behavior: the role played by genes. These investigators explained important social behaviors as special adaptations to becoming social organisms acquired throughout the course of human evolution. As social psychologists continue to integrate the biological and cultural contributions to social behavior, there is a general consensus in the discipline of psychology that a synthesis of the biological, cognitive and sociocultural levels of analysis holds out the greatest promise of bringing us closer to the goal of more fully understanding the nature of the complex interacting systems that make up the human being.

Learning Outcomes

General learning outcomes

1. Outline principles that define the sociocultural level of analysis (for example, the social and cultural environment influences individual behavior; we want connectedness with, and a sense of belonging to, others; we construct our conceptions of the individual and social self).

2. Explain how principles that define the sociocultural level of analysis may be demonstrated in research (that is, theories and/or studies).

3. Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the sociocultural level of analysis (for example, participant/naturalistic observation, interviews, case studies).

4. Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the sociocultural level of analysis.

Sociocultural cognition

1. Describe the role of situational and dispositional factors in explaining behavior.

2. Discuss two errors in attributions (for example, fundamental attribution error, illusory correlation, self-serving bias).

3. Evaluate social identity theory, making reference to relevant studies.

4. Explain the formation of stereotypes and their effect on behavior.

Social norms

1. Explain social learning theory, making reference to two relevant studies.

2. Discuss the use of compliance techniques (for example, lowballing, foot-in-the-door, reciprocity).

3. Evaluate research on conformity to group norms.

Discuss factors influencing conformity (for example, culture, groupthink, risky shift, minority influence).

Cultural norms

1. Define the terms “culture” and “cultural norms”.

2. Examine the role of two cultural dimensions on behavior (for example, individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, Confucian dynamism, masculinity/femininity).

3. Using one or more examples, explain “emic” and “etic” concepts.

4. One Optional Level of Analysis (TBA)

A fourth area of study and knowledge, which I shall determine and announce sometime prior to the Spring semester, will comprise its own learning outcomes, and will be considered through the filters of the biological, the cognitive, and the sociocultural levels of analysis. I shall choose from among:

Abnormal Psychology

The Psychology of Human Relationships

Developmental Psychology

Sport Psychology

5. Research Methods

Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain what is meant by the experimental method

2. Explain the use of quantitative research methods

3. Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies

4. Experimental Design

Define the aim of study

State the independent and dependent variable in an experiment

State operational definition of variables

Describe potential confounding variables

Explain the controls needed for an experiment (maturation, contamination, placebo effect)

Explain effects of participant and researcher expectations and bias (including demand characteristics, expectancy effect, observer bias, Hawthorne effect)

Explain the use of single- and double-blind techniques

Discuss the strengths and limitations of experimental designs (independent samples, repeated measures, matched pairs, single participant)

5. Sampling Procedures

Discuss sampling techniques appropriate to quantitative research (random, opportunity, systematic, stratified)

Discuss how participants are allocated to experimental and control groups (matched pairs, random allocation)

Explain the concept of representative sampling

6. Evaluation of research

Discuss the concepts of internal and external validity

Discuss conditions that increase a study’s reliability

Apply descriptive statistics to analyze data (mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation)

Distinguish between levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)

Apply appropriate graphing techniques to represent data (bar chart, histogram, line graph, frequency polygon)

6. The Internal Assessment

Students are required to plan and undertake a simple experimental study and to produce a report of their study. A simple experimental study involves the manipulation, by the student, of a single independent variable and the measurement of the effect of this independent variable on a dependent variable, while controlling other variables. I shall prepare students for the simple experimental study and the writing of the report.

OK, folks. That’s the course and how it’s gonna run. I am very excited to get started and to teach and learn with you! Shall we begin?

IB Psychology (SL)

The above six units of study comprise the Standard Level IB Psychology course (whew (!). Please read carefully and sign below to acknowledge your understanding of the class and its procedures. Please have your parents read carefully and sign below to acknowledge their understanding of the class and its procedures, then return this sheet (only) to me. Keep the Course Outline itself for your reference, and remind your parents that this course outline is available on my school website for reference.

PRINT STUDENT’S NAME ________________________________________________

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