AP Psych Syllabus 2011-12 Mr. Freundel Email: jpfreun@carrollk12org Website: http://members.thinkport.org/jpfreun Daily Class Blog: http://freundelappsych.blogspot.com/ Class Wiki: http://south-carroll-ap-psych.wikispaces.com/ Course Description The purpose of Advanced Placement Psychology is to further develop students systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of living organisms. Through this course, students are exposed to the psychological facts, and principles associated with the major subfields within psychology. The course is designed to be a rigorous 18 weeks with instruction for 90 minutes each day that will prepare students for the AP Psychology Exam. Course Objectives 1. Students will prepare and take the AP Psychology Exam. 2. Students will study the core concepts and theories of psychology. 3. Students will be able to apply core concepts and theories of psychology to in class experiments and to real life situations. 4. Students will develop critical thinking skills in order to evaluate the various concepts and theories in the course. Textbook Hockenbury, Don H., and Sandra E. Hockenbury. Psychology. New York: Worth, 2003 Materials Needed 1. Three ring binder/spiral notebook 2. Looseleaf paper 3. Pens/pencils 4. Pocket folder 5. 3x5 flash cards 200+ Assessments/Grading Policy - The course grade is based on a cumulative point total taken from all of the assignments during the semester. - Assessments will take the form of: o Chapter Tests-all cumulative from 80-115 points each o Vocabulary and Psychologists quizzes from 18-24 points each o Individual and Group Projects throughout the semester from 20-40 points each o Article summaries from course appropriate journals/magazines 10-20 points each o Weekly class discussion in Wiki o Podcasts o Mid term and Final exams- modeled after the AP exam 100 points each - Carroll County has a new grading policy. Teachers can only grade those assignments that demonstrate learning. Grades for effort or completion do not demonstrate what a student has learned so these kinds of assignments will no longer receive a grade. As a result, there will be fewer grades this semester then in previous ones. The responsibility will therefore fall upon the student to take grades seriously from the
beginning of the semester because there will be fewer chances to bring the grade up as the course progresses. Assessments can take two forms: Formative and Summative. Formative assessments are those that teachers use to see how students are progressing in their content knowledge-classwork/homework assignments. Summative assessments are those that teachers use to see if students have mastered certain content-tests/quizzes/papers. - Final grades will be calculated according to Carroll County Public Schools policy: o 90-100% A o 80-89% B o 70-79% C o 60-69% D o 0-59% F Course Outline The following is a list of unit topics to be covered, objectives of each unit, and the percentage of the unit that will be seen on the AP exam. The amount of time devoted to each unit correlates to the percentage on the exam. Unit I: History and Approaches (2-4%) and Research Methods (6-8%) Define psychology and trace the historical development from Aristotle through Freud Compare and contrast psychological perspectives Identify different subfields of psychology Identify basic elements of an experiment Compare and contrast research methods such as: naturalistic, survey, correlation, longitudinal, and case study. Describe measures of central tendency and variance Discuss the ethics of research Unit II: Biological Basis of Behavior (6-8%) Describe the structure of a neuron and explain neural impulses. Describe neuron communication and discuss the impact of neurotransmitters Classify and explain major divisions of the nervous system Describe the functions of brain structures Identify the functions of the four lobes Explain split-brains studies Describe the function of the nervous system and the brain s interaction with the nervous system Unit III: Sensation and Perception (7-9%) Compare the processes of sensation and perception and explain how the two interact Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds Explain the key components of all five sensory systems Discuss Gestalt psychology and its contribution to the understanding of perception Discuss research on depth perception and cues
Discuss and research the causes of perceptual illusions Unit IV: States of Consciousness (2-4%) Research what it means to be conscious and how our current understanding of consciousness has developed. Describe sleep cycles and possible functions of sleep Compare and contrast features of REM and NREM sleep Identify major sleep disorders Discuss the content and theories on dreaming Discuss hypnosis and its uses Discuss meditation and current psychological findings on its use Describe the nature of drug dependence Explain the psychological and physiological effects of depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens Unit V: Developmental Psychology (7-9%) Objectives Discuss the course of prenatal development Identify how development changes in physical, social, and cognitive areas Discuss the impact of body contact, parenting styles, and attachment on a child s development Explain the benefits of secure attachment as well as the impact of neglect and separation and the impact of daycare on childhood development Understand the theories of Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg Distinguish between longitudinal and cross-sectional studies Unit VI: Learning (7-9%) Describe the process of classical conditioning Explain the process of acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination Describe the process of operant conditioning including skinner s experiment Identify and explain different reinforcement schedules Discuss the effects of punishment Describe the process of observational learning using Bandura s experiment Unit VII: Cognition (8-10%) Describe memory in terms of information processing, and distinguish between sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory Explain the encoding process Describe capacity and duration all types of memory Distinguish between implicit and explicit memory Describe different retrieval cues Describe different types of forgetting Discuss methods used to solve problems (trial and error, algorithms, heuristics, and insight) Describe the structure of language Discuss language development Describe the research on animal cognition and communication
Unit VIII: Motivation and Emotion (7-9%) Describe motivation and motivation theories Discuss psychological and physiological influences of hunger Describe the role of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Distinguish between theories of emotion Describe what happens during emotional arousal Unit IX: Testing and Individual Differences (5-7%) Trace the origins of intelligence testing Describe factors associated with creativity Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests Describe pros and cons of standardized tests including cultural bias Discuss components of a good test Unit X: Personality (6-8%) Describe Freud s personality structure in terms of interactions of id, ego, and superego Explain how different defense mechanisms are used to relieve anxiety Describe contributions of neo-freudians Describe the humanistic perspective of personality (Maslow, and Rogers) Describe impact of individualism and collectivism on self-identity Explain the social-cognitive perspective of personality Unit XI: Abnormal Psychology (7-9%) Identify criteria for judging behavior as abnormal Describe the goal and components of the DSM-IV Describe the symptoms of anxiety disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder Describe the development of mood disorders Explain positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and causes for the disorder Describe various personality disorders Describe characteristics of dissociative disorders Unit XII: Treatment of Psychological Disorders (5-7%) Discuss the goal of psychoanalysis Identify characteristics of humanistic, behavioral, cognitive, and group therapy Discuss the role of culture in the treatment and view of psychological disorders Identify common forms of drug therapy and the use of shock therapy to treat disorders Unit XIII: Social Psychology (7-9%) Describe the importance of attribution in social behavior Discuss important experiments on conformity and the controversy surrounding Milgram s experiment Discuss how group interaction can facilitate group polarization and groupthink
Describe factors that contribute to prejudice and discrimination Discuss issues relating to aggression and attraction Unit XIV: Review for Exam and Final Projects Students will research any topic of their choosing and present their findings during the last week of the course Presentations coupled with enrichment activities to review materials from the class will serve as the last formal preparation for the AP Psychology Exam Late Policy: - Please reference page 21 in the South Carroll Student Agenda. - Work turned in after the due date-unless the student has an excused absence, or has made a prior arrangement with the teacher-will have points deducted. - For students with an excused absence, they will be given a week to make up any work that they missed, starting on their first day back in class. It is the student s responsibility to get any notes or assignments missed, either from the teacher or a classmate. - Assignments completed during Flex mod will be counted as late unless the student has an excused absence Classroom Rules: 1. Follow all rules and regulations as described in the student handbook. 2. Respect your teacher, classmates, and yourself by behaving properly in class. 3. Come to class prepared and try your best every day. Communication: - I may be reached by phone before school (7:30-8:00 a.m.) or after school (2:35-3:00 p.m.) at 410-751-3575. - I may also be reached during and after the school day via email. The address is jpfreun@carrollk12.org - I will respond to any communication as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Dear Parents/Guardians; Please sign and return the paper after you have read and discussed the AP Psychology Syllabus with your student. Due Print Student Name:. Student Signature: Date / / Parent/Guardian Signature: Date / /