Big Idea/Unit Overview:
This unit explores different learning techniques and processes. It explains how we summon unique thoughts and memories to help us perform day-to-day functions. It examines the three different types of learning, the cognitive processes involved in memory and problem solving, and it examines the physical and mental factors that make people behave in certain ways. / Concepts and Key Understandings
  • Describe the principles and outline the techniques of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning.
  • Explain the concepts of memory and information processing.
  • Identify the basic elements of language.
  • List reasons for the physiological and psychological factors associated with motivation and emotion.

Evidence of Student Learning
Formative Assessment(s)
Daily quizzes on each section. / Summative Assessment (Correlation between summative assessment and performance indicators/student expectations)
Unit 4 Test form A& B
Academic Vocabulary (New - Direct Teach)
Classical Conditioning, neutral stimulus, UCS, UCR, CS, CR, operant conditioning, reinforcement, response chain, shaping, aversive control, social learning, cognitive learning, latent learning, learned helplessness, modeling, behavior modification, token economy, memory, encoding, recall, schema, decay, pneumonic devices, chunking, storage and retrieval, thinking, symbol, prototype, mental set, creativity, language, phoneme, morpheme, syntax, semantics, motivation, instincts, need, drive, emotion, incentive, self-actualization / Vocabulary Review
Not Applicable
Guiding Questions (2-3 overarching questions that students should be able to answer by the end of the unit)
  1. How is a conditioned response learned?
  2. Do long term memories ever decay?
  3. What four rules make up language?
  4. What does research on motivation and emotion focus on?

Points of Integration (Cross-curricular connections and/or real-world applications)
How did Pavlov’s work with classical conditioning influence the Russian’s techniques for “brainwashing”?
Reflection(What worked? What did not work? What could be done differently?)

VISD Secondary Unit Map

Content Area: Psychology

Unit #:4Learning and Cognitive Processes Number of Days in Unit: 8

Additional resources for using this unit map template may be found at Curriculum Components and Resource Handbook and CSCOPE.