AP PSYCHOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT

Mrs. GallagherMr. Lupien

WELCOME TO AP PSYCHOLOGY!!

I expect that you will find this course worthwhile and personally relevant. Although it is the summer, there is much work to be done. We live in the northeast. Schools in the south take the AP exam on the same day as we do, but start their school year earlier than we do. In order to make sure that we are keeping pace, you will need to do some work over the summer.

Be aware:

  • AP Psychology is an elective, college-level course with higher student expectations than most courses taken by high school students.
  • This assignment is a mandatory part of the course.
  • This assignment is comprised of FOUR parts.
  • This assignment is designed to prepare you for an exam that you will take on the first week of school. The material covered during the summer will not be covered in class. It is the responsibility of each student to learn the material independently and prepare for this first exam during the summer, outside of class.
  • Each part of this assignment will serve a specific purpose in supporting your understanding of the content covered during the school year andaid in your preparations for the AP Exam in May.

All parts of this assignment are due for ALL students on the first day of school, September 5, 2017. Questions may be referred to either Mr. Lupien’s () or Mrs. Gallagher’s () email. This site will be checked once every two weeks.

4Parts – All parts MUST be completed

PART 1: TED TALKS

Thispart of the assignment will incorporate some technology. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas through short, powerful talks. TED is an acronym for technology, entertainment, and design. Below is a list of “TED talks” that are both interesting and relevant. They relate directly to the content that we will cover during the school year. Of these, you are to watch any SEVEN of your choosing. After watching these talks, you will provide a one paragraph summary OF EACH talk consisting of at least twelve sentences. Feel free to incorporate your opinion of the talk and discuss terms you were interested in, as well as terms you were unsure about.

▪ TEDxMaastricht - Simon Sinek - First why and then trust

(This one can be found on youtube.com.)

▪ AdoraSvitak: What adults can learn from kids

▪ TaviGevinson: A teen just trying to figure it out

▪ Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar: What happens in your brain

when you pay attention

▪ Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

▪ Susan Cain: Power of Introverts

▪ Philip Zimbardo: The Psychology of Evil

▪ Amy Cuddy: Body Language Shapes Who You Are

▪ Angela Lee Duckworth: The Key To Success – Grit

▪ Elizabeth Loftus: How Reliable Is Your Memory

▪ Tony Robbins: Why We Do What We Do

▪ Pamela Meyer: How To Spot A Liar

▪ Keith Barry: Brain Magic

▪ Martin Seligman: New Era of Positive Psychology

▪ Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret To Better Work

▪ Dan Gilbert: Surprise Science of Happiness

PART2: TEXT BOOK – PROLOGUE, CHAPTERS 1, CHAPTER 4

Read the Prologue, Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 in the text book. (Note: If you have not picked up your text book, contact the main office at the high school and make arrangements to do so.) As you read each chapter, complete the corresponding study guide. These study guides will serve as reading guides to help you move through the material in each chapter.

  • The Prologue provides a great introduction to the different psychological perspectives. In psychology, our understanding of various behaviors and conditions arises from our view point, in other words, our psychological perspective.
  • Chapter 1 is important because it introduces you to how we study psychology, as a psychological science. In order to understand the claims others make about behavior and its causes, we need to understand where these claims originated. In fact, some ethnic stereotypes originated with psychological studies.
  • Chapter 4 introduces the idea of “nature versus nurture.” The debate about the extent to which behaviors and psychological conditions are influenced by genetics versus influenced by experience is an issue that applies to almost all of the topics we will discuss during the year.

PART 3: ANALYZE A PERSON THROUGH THE EYES OF ERIK ERIKSON

Erik Erikson developed a theory on social development that explains how experiences from birth through old age contribute to who we become. His theory includes a number of stages, each of which involves a conflict. These conflicts are related to our experiences, good and bad, with the people in our lives. The outcome of the conflict is said to influence us throughout our life and contribute the development of our personality. Use the textbook and any other reliable online resources you choose to become familiar with Erikson’s stages of social development. With your new understanding of personality and social development, you will select a person to analyze. In other words, you will analyze the development of a person through the eyes of Erikson.

  • You must discuss three stages of social development that this person has gone through. This discussion must include an explanation of the conflict at each stage as described by Erikson, a discussion of the experiences encountered by the subject of your analysis at each stage, and a discussion and justification for the outcome of the conflict at each stage.(For example, as a three-year-old, did the subject emerge with a sense of autonomy, or with a sense of shame and doubt? Why?)
  • You may analyze yourself, or another person, but should not use the person’s name in your writing. You may find it easier to write if you give your subject a pseudonym.

PART4: INVESTIGATE A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER

Using the text and at least three other sources; write a two-page summary on a psychological disorder of your choosing. Include in your summary:

  • A discussion of why you chose to investigate this disorder.
  • Typical Signs (Things observed by others) and Symptoms (Things experienced by the person affected)
  • Prevalence
  • How each of the following might explain the cause of this disorder, and how each of the following might treat the disorder:

▪ Behavioral Psychologist▪ Cognitive Psychologist▪ Psychoanalyst

▪ Humanistic Psychologist▪ Neuropsychologist (Biological Perspective)

▪ Social-Cultural Psychologist

  • What role nature (genetics) plays in the development of this disorder.
  • What role nurture (environment, experience) plays in the development of this disorder.
  • Treatment Options (If one treatment option seems to be most successful, discuss this and explain why.)