AP Psychology Syllabus Ms. Warner [email protected]
Course Objectives:
The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the history and foundations
of the field of psychology, psychologists and others who have greatly influenced the field, the major theories important to the field, as well as the experiments, discoveries, and studies relevant for understanding psychology.
The course focuses on the scientific study of behavior and mental processes to gain a better
understanding of human beings. It is my hope that this course will help you better understand your own thoughts and behaviors, as well as the thoughts and behaviors of others, and help you make improvements in your life.
One of the main objectives of this course is to prepare each student to pass the AP Psychology exam. This is a year-long course and students are required to complete all units of the course
prior to the AP exam with ample time to review. For this reason, the final exam will be given before the date of the AP Exam and a Final Project will be given at the end of the school year.
Materials for Success for AP Psychology:
- Textbook: Myers’ Psychology for the AP Course
- Binder (1 ½ inch is preferred)
- Several highlighters, pencils, and pens (blue or black ink)
- AP Test Prep Book
- School issued chromebook with charger
Assessment Practices and Student Expectations:
This is a college level course, consequently the nature of this course will require a high level of independent study and motivation. Not all material will be covered in class, so students must keep up with the readings, complete daily notes, review lecture notes, and complete assignments on time to be successful.
Students are expected to complete reading notes that are to include vocabulary, key terms, core concepts, and main ideas. Students also are expected to complete notes from all classroom presentations, video clips, and lectures.
Each unit will be covered in approximately a two-week period, ending with a unit test. The unit tests are primarily modeled on last year’s AP Exam and therefore will include multiple choice questions and for some units also include a written portion/ FRQ (Free Response Question) in which the student must define and apply the concepts. All tests will be timed.
Quizzes will focus on reading and other material students are responsible for learning independently outside the classroom. Quizzes may be given at any time so be prepared!
Other assignments given to students will include group projects, presentations, and activities. These assignments are tailored for each unit of study.
Grading
This course will have weighted grading.
Summative assignments (Multiple Choice Tests and Quizzes) 50%
FRQ Assessments (written tests) 15%
Formative Assignments (homework and classwork assignments, etc) 25%
Class Discussions, Buddy Talks, Participation 10%
I use the standard grading scale. Grades will not be rounded up, so please don’t ask!
A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=70-79%
D=-60-69%
Below 59%=F
Please seek out help from me if you need it! Ask questions in class and I am always available during VAQ time to help.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
Since this is a college level course, students are expected to complete all assignments on time. Exceptions will only be given for special circumstances.
Attendance: Attendance is very important for success in this class. If you miss school, you are expected to make up the work immediately. It is your responsibility to check for missed work following an absence. If you are absent the day of a test or quiz, you will need to make it up during VAQ time or during a determined class period. Be sure to see Ms. Warner to schedule an appropriate time to make up for a missed test.
Discussions and Participation: Students are expected to participate in this course at a college level. Students should be on task at all times and participate in class activities and discussions in a meaningful manner. Students need to be alert and involved from the beginning of class until the end of class. Even if a student Students need to engage in discussions and be on task to earn points for the participation portion of the grade.
Unit 1 –Psychology’s History and Approaches
Core Concepts:
- What is Psychology – And What Is It Not?
- What Are Psychology’s Historical Roots?
- What Are the Perspectives Psychologists Use Today?
Objectives:
Define psychology and identify what psychologists do.
Trace the history of psychology including identifying what structuralism,
functionalism, Gestalt, behaviorism and psychoanalysis are and how each contribute
to psychology today.
Define, compare, and contrast the approaches to understanding human behavior.
Describe the contributions of various psychologists important to the development of modern psychology.
Unit 2 – Research Methods
Core Concepts:
- How Do Psychologists Develop New Knowledge?
- How Do Psychologists Make Sense of the Data?
- What Are the Ethical Guidelines for Psychology?
Objectives:
Identify and define the steps of the scientific method.
Identify the types of psychological research.
Identify and define sources of bias in research.
Discuss the ethics of research and identify the importance of ethics in research.
Identify the basic elements of an experiment.
Define and explain the importance of statistics in research with respect to measures
of central tendency and measures of variation.
Understand experimental design and applying the use of statistics.
Compare and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics, and learn how to make
inferences based on the data.
Unit 3 – Biopsychology and the Foundations of Neuroscience
Core Concepts:
- How Are Genes and Behavior Linked?
- How Does the Body Communicate Internally?
- How Does the Brain Produce Behavior and Mental Processes?
Objectives:
Identify and define the terms evolution and natural selection.
Explain genetics and inheritance.
Describe the structure of the neuron and explain how a neuron communicates.
Classify the divisions of the nervous system and the endocrine system and compare
and contrast those systems.
Classify various parts of the brain and explain the function and purpose of each with relation to body and behaviors.
Identify cerebral dominance and discuss the split-brain studies.
Unit 4 – Sensation and Perception
Core Concepts:
- How Does Stimulation Become Sensation?
- How Are the Senses Alike? How Are They Different?
- What is the Relationship Between Sensation and Perception?
Objectives:
Explain the process of transduction with respect to each of the senses.
Explain the Absolute Threshold, JND, Weber’s Law, Fechner’s Law, Gate Control theory and Gestalt principles
Compare and contrast the functions of the senses.
Explain theories of perception.
Unit 5 – States of Consciousness
Core Concepts:
- How is Consciousness Related to Other Mental Processes?
- What Cycles Occur in Everyday Consciousness?
- What Other Forms Can Consciousness Take?
Objectives:
Define consciousness and classify the divisions of consciousness.
Identify the cycles of consciousness and the function of sleep.
Identify the importance of the sleep cycles with respect to REM and NREM sleep.
Explain and discuss altered conscious states such as hypnosis, meditation, and the
effects of psychoactive drugs.
Classify the psychoactive drugs (stimulants, depressants, opiates, and
hallucinogens) and explain the effects they have on the body and behaviors.
Discuss addiction, dependence, withdrawal, and tolerance of psychoactive drugs.
Unit 6 – Learning
Core Concepts:
- What Sort Of Learning Does Classical Conditioning Explain?
- How Do We Learn New Behaviors By Operant Conditioning?
- How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning?
Objectives:
Identify the work of Ivan Pavlov and his contribution to psychology through the
concept of classical conditioning.
Apply the concepts of classical conditioning.
Identify the work of B.F. Skinner and his contribution to psychology through the
concepts of operant conditioning.
Explain and discuss the importance of reinforcement and schedules of reinforcement.
Compare and contrast positive and negative reinforcement.
Explain the difference between reinforcement and punishment, primarily negative
reinforcement and punishment.
Compare and contrast classical and operant conditioning.
Discuss and describe Albert Bandura’s observational learning study.
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Unit 7 – Cognition
Core Concept:
- What Is Memory?
- How Do We Form Memories?
- How Do We Retrieve Memories?
- Why Does Memory Sometimes Fail Us?
- How Do Children Acquire Language?
- What Are the Components of Thought?
- What Abilities do Good Thinkers Possess?
Objectives:
Classify the categories of memory (sensory, working, and long-term).
Explain retrieval cues.
Discuss the differences between implicit and explicit memory.
Discuss the 7-sins of memory failure (transience, absent-mindedness, blocking,
misattribution, suggestibility, bias, persistence).
Apply the use of mnemonic devices.
Discuss the tools of problem solving.
Describe structure and theories of language.
Unit 8 –Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
Core Concept:
- What Do Our Emotions Do For Us?
- Where Do Our Emotions Come From?
- How Much Control Do We Have Over Our Emotions?
- Motivation: What Makes Us Act as We Do?
- How Are Achievement, Hunger, and Sex Alike? Different?
- How and Why Do We Experience Stress?
Objectives:
Discuss the evolution of emotions.
Discuss the cultural differences and similarities in emotions.
Identify the basic emotions.
Discuss the psychological theories of emotions.
Explain how neuroscience is involved with emotions.
Discuss how to develop emotional intelligence.
Compare and contrast motivation and emotion.
Identify the theories of motivation.
Discuss the concept of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Compare and contrast achievement, hunger, sexual, and motives in conflict.
Discuss the difference between stress and stressors.
Explain the ideas behind GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome).
Explain the effects of stress on the immune system.
Unit 9 –Developmental Psychology
Core Concept:
- How Do Psychologists Explain Development?
- What Capabilities Does the Child Possess?
- What Are the Developmental Tasks of Infancy and Childhood?
- What Changes Mark the Transition of Adolescence?
- What Developmental Challenges Do Adults Face?
Objectives:
Discuss the nature-nurture controversy.
Identify the concepts of continuity vs. discontinuity with respect to development.
Classify developmental stages of humans (prenatal, neonatal, infancy, childhood,
adolescence, adulthood).
Discuss the theories of Piaget, Erickson, and Kohlberg.
Discuss the theories of attachment and contact comfort (Harlow).
Unit 10 – Personality
Core Concept:
- What Forces Shape Our Personalities?
- What Persistent Patterns Are Found In Personality?
- What “T heories” Do People Use To Understand Each Other?
Objectives:
Compare and contrast the different personality theories (psychodynamic,
humanistic, social-cognitive, and current trends).
Discuss the concepts of personality and temperament.
Describe the social and cultural differences in personality.
Describe the nature nurture debate.
Discuss and describe personality inventories and tests
Unit 11 – Testing and Individual Differences
Core Concept:
- How Do We Measure Individual Differences?
- How Is Intelligence Measured?
- What Are the Components of Intelligence?
- How Do Psychologists Explain IQ Differences Among Groups?
Objectives:
Define validity and reliability and discuss their importance in test measurements.
Define and explain the importance of standardization and norm testing.
Discuss the various types of psychological tests (intelligence, personality, etc.).
Discuss the importance of ethics and standards in testing.
Identify the contributions of Simon and Binet to school testing.
Discuss how intelligence tests are used today.
Discuss the theories of intelligence (psychometric, cognitive, and cultural
definitions).
Discuss nature and nurture in relation to intelligence.
Unit 12 –Abnormal Behavior/Psychological Disorders
Core Concepts:
- What is abnormal behavior and what are Psychological Disorders?
- How are Psychological Disorders Classified?
- What are the Consequences of Labeling People?
Objectives:
Discuss the changing concepts of psychological disorder.
Identify the indicators of abnormality.
Identify what the DSM-V is and how it is used to classify and diagnose psychological disorders.
Define and discuss specific psychological disorders from the DSM-V.
Diagnose vignettes/case studies based on the psychological disorders and the
criteria for specific disorders.
Discuss the impact of stigma.
Unit 13 – Treatment of Abnormal Behavior/Psychological Disorders
Core Concepts:
- What is Therapy?
- How Do Psychologists Treat Psychological Disorders?
- How is the Biomedical Approach Used To Treat Psychological Disorders?
Objectives:
Discuss and identify the reasons one might enter therapy.
Identify the goals of therapy.
Discuss the historical and cultural context of therapy.
Identify, compare, and contrast the different theories of therapy.
Evaluate the use of the psychological therapies.
Discuss the use of psychopharmacology and the importance of drug-therapy.
Unit 14 – Social Psychology:
Core Concepts:
- How Does the Social Situation Affect Our Behavior?
- Constructing Social Reality: What Influences our Judgments of Others?
- What are the Roots of Violence?
Objectives:
Discuss the social standards of behavior.
Identify the concept of conformity and how it affects human behavior.
Identify the concepts of obedience and obedience to authority.
Discuss the studies and experiments related to the bystander effect and the
outcome of inaction.
Discuss theories of attraction.
Identify the social psychology of aggression and violence.
Discuss Philip Zimbardo’s classic Stanford Prison Experiment.
