Understanding Psychology



Psychology Syllabus

Mrs. Black

2019-2020

Course Description: Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. When applied to humans, psychology covers everything people think, feel, and do. In many ways, you have been investigating human behavior all your life and have many understandings (and perhaps misunderstandings) of why you and others act as you do. Through studying the exciting and intellectually stimulating ideas of many great psychologists, you will refine and extend your abilities in understanding yourself and others.

Assignments and Grading: You will be responsible for taking notes and participating in class discussions on a daily basis. We will cover 9 different topics in this course (each topic is listed on the back of this syllabus). There will be one quiz and one exam given for each chapter covered. The exams are made up of 15 multiple-choice questions and 2 short-answer questions, totaling 50 points. If you are absent on the day of an exam, you have to make-up that exam before we complete the next chapter. Failure to make-up an exam before the next chapter test will result in a zero. Additional assignments, projects, and presentations will be assigned throughout the school year.

Textbook: Understanding Psychology (2003) by Richard A. Kasschau.

(You can access the online textbook through my school webpage)

Class Expectations:

• Be prepared for class with all necessary materials.

• Complete all assignments on time.

• Be responsible! See teacher for assignments missed due to absence.

• If you are absent, you’re responsible for learning the information you missed during that class.

• Follow school rules and procedures as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

• Use cell phones ONLY at appropriate times!

Topics and Learning Objectives

Chapter 1 – History & Approaches

Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a discipline in 1879. There have been significant changes in the theories that psychologists use to explain behavior and mental processes.

Chapter 6 – Biological Basis of Behavior

This chapter is an introduction to the relationship between physiological processes and behavior—including the influence of neural function, the nervous system and the brain, and genetic contributions to behavior.

Chapter 7 - Altered States of Consciousness

The study of variations in consciousness includes an examination of the sleep cycle, dreams, hypnosis, and the effects of psychoactive drugs.

Chapter 8 - Sensation & Perception

Everything that organisms know about the world is first encountered when stimuli in the environment activate sensory organs, initiating awareness of the external world. Perception involves the interpretation of the sensory inputs as a cognitive process.

Chapter 9 – Learning

This section of the course introduces students to differences between learned and unlearned behavior. The primary focus is exploration of different kinds of learning - classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.

Chapter 10 - Memory & Thought

In this unit students learn how humans convert sensory input into kinds of information. They examine how humans learn, remember, and retrieve information.

Chapter 12 - Motivation & Emotion

In this part of the course, students explore biological and social factors that motivate behavior and biological and cultural factors that influence emotion.

Chapter 14 - Personality

In this chapter students will explore major theories of how humans develop enduring patterns of behavior and personal characteristics that influence how others relate to them. The unit also addresses various types of personality tests.

Chapter 16 - Psychological Disorders

In this portion of the course, students examine the nature of common challenges to adaptive functioning. This section emphasizes formal conventions that guide psychologists’ judgments about diagnosis and problem severity.

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