Vincent Massey High School Advanced Placement Psychology 42S Course Outline 2015 Course Title: Psychology 42S School Year and Semester: 2014-2015 Semester II Teacher: Trudy Zelmer zelmer.trudy@bsd.ca Course Description: According to the College Board (the organization that writes and oversees the AP exams), the purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals the aim is to provide a learning experience equivalent to that obtained in most university/college introductory psychology courses. This course will provide 55 days of instruction to prepare you to take the AP exam on Monday, May 4, 2015. General Learning Outcomes: Students will study the major core concepts and theories of Psychology. This includes being able to define key terms, compare and contrast the major theories, and develop an understanding of the biological and psychological basis of behavior. Students will learn the basic skills of psychological research. They will be able to devise simple research projects, interpret and generalize from results, and evaluate the general validity of research reports. They will recognize the scientific nature of investigation in psychology. Students will be able to apply psychological concepts to their own lives. Students will develop critical thinking skills. They will become aware of the danger of accepting or rejecting any psychological theory without careful, objective evaluation. Students will demonstrate understanding of the ethical standards governing the work of psychologists. They will maintain high ethical standards and sensitivity in applying the principles of psychology to themselves, other people and other organisms. Course Evaluation Structure: Tests: 60% Class Participation: 10% Assignments (homework, activities, projects, presentations, reading quizzes): 30% Course Final Standing The final mark for term work within the respective categories, (tests, assignments and projects) will be cumulative.
In accordance with the Brandon School Division Policy on student assessment, evaluation, and Reporting, the following standard for the completion of assignments by students apply: A zero grade is given to unit assignments that are not submitted by the end of the related unit s summative evaluation. Any extension for a student to the above standard will be considered by the administration only when requested by the teacher Topic One: Intro to Psychology: History and Approaches [CR 1] (2-4%) Study Guide Chapter 5 Historical Schools including Functionalism, Structuralism, Gestalt Modern Approaches including Psychodynamic, Behaviorist, Cognitive, Humanistic, Psychobiological, and Sociocultural Major historical figures in psychology including Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget and Wilhelm Wundt. Topic Two: Research Methods [CR 2] [CR 16] (8-10%) Study Guide Chapter 6 The Scientific Method Research Methods including Introspection, Naturalistic Observation, Survey, Psychological Testing, and Controlled Experimentation Statistics including measures of central tendency, variance, significance, correlation Ethics in Research both human and animal Topic Three: Biological Bases of Behavior [CR 3] (8-10%) Study Guide Chapter 7 Nervous System: Structural and Functional Organization Neurons: Structure, Function, Wave of Depolarization, Neurotransmitters Brain: Development, Structure, Function, Hemispheric Specialization, Research Methodology Endocrine System Genetics and Heritability Topic Four: Sensation and Perception [CR 4](6-8%) Study Guide Chapter 8 Psychophysics including Absolute and Difference Thresholds, Signal Detection Theory, Weber s and Fechner s Laws Sensory Stimuli and Systems including Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, Kinesthetic, Vestibular, Skin Senses, Transduction, Localization Perception including Depth, Distance, Motion, Gestalt Laws of Grouping, Illusions, Figure and Ground Topic Five: States of Consciousness [CR 5] [CR 15] (2-4%) Study Guide Chapter 9 Iceberg Model of Consciousness including Conscious, Subconscious, Preconscious, Unconscious Sleep and Dreaming including Sleep Stages One to Four, REM Sleep, Functions of Sleep and Dreaming Manifest vs. Latent Dream Content Meditation & Hypnosis Psi Phenomenon including ESP, Precognition, Clairvoyance Psychoactive Drug Effects
Topic Six: Learning [CR 6] (7-9%) Study Guide Chapter 10 Pavlov and Classical Conditioning including NS, CS, UCS, UCR, CR, Discrimination, Generalization, Second Order Conditioning, Associative Learning Watson and Little Albert Thorndike s Law of Effect Skinner and Operant Conditioning including Positive and Negative Reinforcement, Primary and Secondary Reinforcement, Reinforcement Schedules, Shaping, Chaining, Generalization, Discrimination, Associative Learning, Behavior Modification Techniques Learning Modalities Social Learning, Bandura, and BOBO Topic Seven: Cognition [CR 7] (8-10%) Study Guide Chapter 11 Information Processing Model of Memory including Sensory Memory, STM, LTM, Encoding, Storage, Retrieval, Forgetting, Capacity, Duration Depth of Processing Model Serial Position Effect, Primacy and Recency Effects Constructive Memory Cognition including Problem Solving and Heuristics Topic Eight: Motivation and Emotion [CR 8] (6-8%) Study Guide Chapter 12 Motivational Concepts including instincts, primary and secondary drives, optimal arousal, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation Hunger and Eating Disorders and Attitudes toward food Human Sexuality Achievement Motivation Maslow s Hierarchy of Needs Emotional Structure and Theory including James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter- Singer and others Polygraphs Topic Nine: Developmental Psychology [CR 9] [CR 15](7-9%) Study Guide Chapter 13 Methodology: Longitudinal vs. Cross-Sectional Lifespan Approach Maturation vs. Learning Early Life Studying Neonates including Developmental Landmarks Language Development Piaget and Cognitive Development Parenting Styles Effects of Day Care Physical Development and Maturation Kohlberg s Moral Development Adolescent Development Marcia s Coping Strategies Gender Roles and Stereotypes Maturing and Aging Death and Dying (Kubler-Ross)
Topic Ten: Personality [CR 10] (5-7%) Study Guide Chapter 14 Freud s Psychoanalytic Theory including Personality Structures and the Bi-Cameral Mind, Psychosexual Development Jung, Adler, and Horney Trait Theories including Hippocrates, Sheldon, Allport, Catell, Eysenck, and Myers- Briggs Evolutionary Personality Theory Social-Cognitive Perspective including Bandura and Seligman Humanistic Personality Theory including Maslow and Rogers Projective Tests, MMPI, Factor Analysis, Paper and Pencil, Myers-Briggs Topic Eleven: Testing and Individual Differences [CR 11] (5-7%) Study Guide Chapter 15 Concepts of Psychological Testing including norms, reliability, validity, biases Ability-Achievement Continuum What is intelligence? Street Smarts History of Intelligence Testing Nature vs. Nurture Debate Quantifying Genetics Topic Twelve: Abnormal Psychology [CR 12] (7-9%) Study Guide Chapter 16 Stress Theories including Selye s General Adaptation Syndrome and Lazarus & Follerman Individual Differences in Coping What is normal and what is not? DSM-IV-TR Major Categories of Disorders including Anxiety Disorders, Dissociative Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, Personality Disorders Interim Report from the APA Assessment of Suicide Topic Thirteen: Treatment of Psychological Disorders [CR 13] (5-7%) Study Guide Chapter 17 Mental Illness: Legal Definitions Major Approaches to Psychotherapy including Psychoanalytic, Behavioral, Humanistic, Cognitive, Group, Pharmacological Factors affecting the Prognosis of Recovery Symptom Recognition and Treatment Suicidal Individuals Does Therapy Work? Topic Fourteen: Social Psychology [CR 14] (8-10%) Study Guide Chapter 18 Non-Verbal Communication Attribution Theory Attitudes and Persuasion Prejudice, Discrimination, Scapegoating, Stereotypes Conformity (Asch), Compliance, and Obedience (Milgram) Group Dynamics and Groupthink Helping and Bystander Apathy Aggression Attraction, Love, Divorce
About the AP Exam The AP Psychology exam tests knowledge of topics included in a one and two semester introductory university and college courses in psychology. The test consists of two sections: Section One (66.67% of score): 100 multiple choice questions (70 minutes) Section Two (33.33% of score): 2 free response questions (50 minutes) The following table reflects the approximate percentage of the multiple-choice section of the exam devoted to each content area: 2-4% History 7-9% Motivation and emotion 6-8% Methods and approaches 7-9% Developmental psychology 8-10% Biological bases of behavior 6-8% Personality 7-9% Sensation and perception 5-7% Testing and Individual differences 2-4% States of consciousness 7-9% Abnormal psychology 7-9% Learning 5-7% Treatment of psychological disorders 8-10% Cognition 7-9% Social psychology The free-response questions evaluate students' mastery of scientific research principles and their ability to make connections among constructs from different psychological domains. Students may be asked to analyze a general problem in psychology (e.g., depression, adaptation) using concepts from different theoretical frameworks or subdomains in the field, or they may be asked to design, analyze, or critique a research study. Scoring the Test Multiple Choice Section: Each correct answer is awarded 1 point. You are in essence, trying to score points. Don t think about how many you get wrong, think about how many you get right! Free-Response Section: For each of the two questions, a rubric is established. Questions are usually scored on a point scale that is not determined until after you ve taken the test.
AP Psychology February 2015 I have read the above syllabus for Ms. Zelmer s A.P. Psychology course. By signing below, I Demonstrate that I understand the requirements of the course and agree to give my best effort. I will remember that this is a university level course and I will assume personal responsibility for my work and progress in the class Acknowledge that this is an Advanced Placement exam preparation course and I plan on taking the A.P. Psychology test on May 4, 2015. Student Name (Printed) Student Name (Signature) Parent Name (Printed) Parent Name (Signature)