Syllabus - Mr. Cline’s 1st Semester Psychology Daily Content and Objectives
UNIT 1 - HISTORY, APPROACHES & METHODS (4 days)
1-11-17
History and Approaches: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Monism, Dualism, Empricism, Wundt, Titchener, Structuralism, Introspection, Functionalism, Darwin, Calkins, Watson, Freud, 3 Big Issues, 5 Big Perspectives, Basic v Applied Research, Clinical Psychologists v Psychiatrists, G Stanley Hall
1. Summarize the views of prescientific thinkers regarding the origins of knowledge and how the mind and body relate.
2. Discuss early psychologists’ efforts to understand the structure and function of the mind.
3. Describe psychology’s concerns regarding stability and change, rationality and irrationality, and nature and nurture.
4. Briefly describe the different perspectives from which psychologists examine behavior and mental processes and explain their complementarity.
5. Identify some of the basic and applied research subfields of psychology, and differentiate the mental health professions of clinical psychology and psychiatry.
1-219-30
Scientific Method & Descriptive Research Methods:Hindsight Bias, Scientific Attitude, Scientific Method, Operational Definitions, Case Study, Survey, Naturalistic Observation, False Consensus Effect, Sampling & Assignment Techniques and Issues
1. Describe the hindsight bias, and explain how it often leads us to perceive psychological research as merely common sense.
2. Discuss how overconfidence contaminates our everyday judgments.
3. Explain how the scientific attitude encourages critical thinking.
4. Describe the relationship between psychological theories and scientific research.
5. Compare and contrast case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observation, and explain the
importance of proper sampling.
1-3 30-41
Correlational Method & Experimental Method: Scatterplots, Correlation Coefficients (r-value), Correlation v. Causation, Illusory Corrleations, Double-Blind Studies, Placebo, Control v Experimental Conditions, Random Assignment, Independent Variable, Dependent Variable
1. Describe both positive and negative correlations, and explain how correlational research can aid the process of prediction.
2. Explain why correlational research fails to provide evidence of cause-effect relationships.
3. Discuss how people form illusory correlations and perceive order in random sequences.
4. Identify the basic elements of an experiment, and discuss how experimental control contributes to causal explanation.
1-442-55
Descriptive Statistics & Ethics: Measures of Central Tendency (Mean, Median, Mode), Measures of Variation/ Dispersion (Range, Standard Deviation), Skewed Distributions, Statistical Significance, Ecological Validity, Culture, Gender Differences, Animal Experimentation, APA & Ethical Guidelines, Justified Deception
10. Explain how bar graphs can be designed to make a small difference appear to be large.
11. Describe the three measures of central tendency and the two measures of variation
12. Discuss three important principles in making generalizations from samples, and describe how psychologists make inferences about differences between groups.
14. Explain why psychologists study animals, and discuss the ethics of experimentation with both animals and humans.
UNIT 2- NEUROSCIENCE/ BIOLOGY (5 Days)
2-1 57-65
Neural Communication: Biological Psychology, Anatomy of Neurons (location and function of all parts), Neural Firing- Action Potential Process, Synapse, Reuptake Process, Neurotransmitters - Roles of Acetylcholine, Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, GABA, Glutamate, Endorphins; Agonists, Antagonists, Curare, Botulin, Blood-Brain Barrier
2-265-72
Nervous System & Imaging Techniques: CAT, MRI, EEG, PET, fMRI technologies and applications; lesioning
2-372-85
The Brain- Lower Level Brain Structures, Limbic System, Cerebral Cortex, Association Areas, Plasticity
2-485-93
Divided Brain & Hemispheric Differences: Split Brain Research, Hemispheric Specialization
2-594-97
Endocrine System: Major Glands, locations, & functions