A.P. Psychology

Course Guide

Mercer IslandHigh 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 Approaches (Prologue) /
  • History of psychology
  • Psychological perspectives
/
  • In what ways does psychology approach the study of human and animal behavior?
  • 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 (Ch. 1) /
  • Experimental method
  • Correlational method
  • Naturalistic
  • Observation
  • Case studies
  • Data analysis/Statistics
  • APA Ethical Guidelines
/
  • How do psychologists use the scientific method to study behavior and mental processes?
  • Which methods of research are appropriate for the study of different behaviors?
  • How do psychologists draw appropriate conclusions about behavior from research?
  • How do psychologists make ethical decisions about researching behavior?

1st Exam
3 / Social Psychology (Ch. 18) /
  • Attribution Theory/Attitudes vs. behaviors
  • The Influence of others on an individual’s behavior
  • Attraction
  • Aggression/Altruism
  • Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
  • Cross-cultural psychology
/
  • How do people explain the behavior of others?
  • How are individuals affected by groups?
  • How do psychologists define culture? What influence does culture have on individuals and groups?

4 / Learning (Ch. 8) /
  • Classical conditioning
  • Operant conditioning
  • Observational learning
/
  • How do psychologists define learning?
  • How do principles of classical, operant, and observational learning work to create learning?

2ndExam
Guided Course Work /
  • Research
  • Hypothesis development
  • Literature Review

5 / Biological Bases of Behavior (Ch. 2 &3) /
  • Neuro-anatomy
  • Nervous system
  • Brain
  • Endocrine system
  • Genetics
  • Nature versus nurture debate
/
  • How do biological processes relate to behavior?
  • How does damage to a biological process affect behavior?

3rd Exam
6 / Sensation and Perception (Ch. 5&6) /
  • Thresholds
  • Sensory mechanisms
  • Sensory adaptation
  • Attention
  • Perceptual processes
/
  • How do the 5 senses receive and translate signals to the brain for processing?
  • How does each sense affect behavior?
  • How do sensation and perception differ?

4th Exam
7 / Motivation & Emotion (Ch. 12, 13) /
  • Motivation
  • Emotion
/
  • In what ways are humans motivated to behave?
  • How can one increase motivation to behave in certain ways?
  • What role do emotions play in behavior?

Review/Semester Final Exam /
  • 100 multiple choice
  • 2 free-response
  • cumulative

News reporting /
  • Analysis of psychology in everyday life

8 / Developmental Psychology (Ch. 4) /
  • Research methods
  • Prenatal Influences/Infancy
  • Adolescence
  • Aging
  • Stage theories
/
  • How do people grow and develop physically, socially and intellectually throughout the lifespan?

9 / Testing and Individual Differences (Ch. 11) /
  • Reliability and validity
  • Types of tests
  • Theories of intelligence
  • Intelligence tests
/
  • How do psychologists define and study intelligence?
  • How did the use of intelligence tests evolve throughout the last two centuries?
  • How do psychologists know whether a test is reliable and/or valid?

5th Exam
10 / Cognition (Ch. 9 & 10) /
  • Memory
  • Language
  • Thinking
/
  • How do humans encode, store, and retrieve information from memory?
  • How do humans think?
  • How do humans acquire language and use it to communicate ideas?

6thExam
11 / Personality (Ch. 15) /
  • Psychodynamic
theories of
personality
  • Trait theories of personality
  • Social-cognitive theories of personality
  • Humanistic theories of personality
/
  • How do psychologists define and study personality?
  • What advantages and limitations exist for each theory’s description of personality?

12 / States of Consciousness (Ch. 7) /
  • Consciousness
  • Sleep
  • Dreams
  • Hypnosis
  • Drugs
/
  • How do psychologists define consciousness?
  • What happens during the sleep cycle?
  • How does lack of and REM and NREM sleep affect behavior?

7th Exam
13 / Psychological Disorders (Ch. 16) /
  • Defining abnormality
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Somatoform disorders
  • Dissociative disorders
  • Mood of affective disorders
  • Schizophrenic disorders
  • Personality disorders
/
  • How do psychologists measure and define abnormal behavior?
  • How are the various psychological disorders identified and studied?

14 / Treatment of Psychological Disorders (Ch. 17) /
  • Psychodynamic theory
  • Humanistic therapies
  • Behavioral therapies
  • Cognitive therapies
  • Somatic therapies
/
  • What are the treatment options for the various types of psychological disorders?

15 / Stress (Ch. 14) /
  • Stress
  • Coping
  • Health
/
  • What are the three stages of Hans Seyle’s GAS?
  • How does stress affect the immune system?
  • 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

.