AP Psychology Syllabus Dr. Stricklin-Witherspoon 2016.2017 mstricklin@schools.nyc.gov Scheduling of AP Psychology Classes: Courses are scheduled 5 days a week for 45-minute periods each class. Course Objectives The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. The course provides instruction in each of the following 14 content areas outlined in the AP Psychology Course Description: History and Approaches Research Methods Biological Bases of Behavior Sensation and Perception States of Consciousness Learning Cognition Motivation and Emotion Developmental Psychology Personality Testing and Individual Differences Abnormal Psychology Treatment of Psychological Disorders Social Psychology As relevant to each content area, the course provides instruction in empirically supported psychological facts, research findings, terminology, associated phenomena, major figures, perspectives, and psychological experiments. The course teaches ethics and research methods used in psychological science and practice. Classroom Expectations 1. All course work given will help prepare students for the AP Psychology Exam. 2. Students will study the major topics in psychology as outlined by The College Board and their textbook. 3. Students will review case studies of psychological research that are pertinent to understanding each of the major topics in psychology. (i.e. 40 Studies That 1
Changed Psychology, Opening Skinner s Box, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, etc.) 4. Students will be able to define key vocabulary terms as well as utilize them properly during class discussions and written assignments in lieu of lay terms. 5. Students will participate in activities that will enhance their understanding of key concepts. 6. Students must turn in assignments on their due dates (BEFORE the late bell) regardless of studio blackout dates and/or non-medically excused absences (doctor's note required as per DOE regulations). If a student cannot physically turn in an assignment then it must be emailed by their class period on the due date to: mstricklin@schools.nyc.gov ; Subject: AP Psycology XXXXXXX 7. Exams must be taken on their assigned date regardless of extended time. There are no make-up exams. The lowest exam grade will be dropped at the end of the term. 8. If you are late to class then your assignment is late and will not be graded. 9. All handwritten assignments are to be on college-ruled looseleaf paper in black or blue ink unless otherwise instructed. (Paper should not be ripped out of a notebook.) 10.All homework/out of class assignments must be typed. 11.Extraordinary situations requiring special consideration must be addressed with the teacher prior to the event and not afterwards. 12.Students with 504 or IEP testing modifications must confirm the manner in which an assessment will be administered prior to the test date. 13.Both parent/guardian and student are required to register their PupilPath accounts, including a valid email address. 14.Students are required to read the Weekly Bulletin each week. 15.Google Classroom Course Code: zqhuzv Textbooks 1. Psychology Ninth Edition in Modules by David G. Myers 2. Study Guide for Psychology Ninth Edition in Modules by Richard O. Straub Supplemental Readings, Films, and Websites 1. 40 Studies That Changed Psychology, 7th edition by Roger R. Hock 2. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks 3. Opening Skinner s Box by Lauren Slater 4. The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen & Amy Ellis Nutt 5. Discovering Psychology by Philip Zimbardo 6. Brain Games by National Geographic 7. Teaching High School Psychology.blogspot.com 8. Resources from teacher s membership in TOPSS 9. DSM-5 10. Khan Academy - MCAT section 2
Supplies Notebook, 81/2 x 11, spiral notebook used only for this class as instructed Three-ring binder Three-ring binder dividers (at least 14 dividers - one for each unit) College-ruled looseleaf paper Unruled paper Writing utensil(s) (blue or black ink for pens only, #2 pencils only, colored pencils) Additional outside reading and/or review books may be required at teacher's discretion. Grading Policy Activity Percentage Exams, Quizzes, and Major Projects 50% Homework/Classwork 20% Participation 20% Final/End Term Research Project 10% Grades are cumulative per semester. As this is an annualized course, a student who fails the course at the semester and pass the course at the end of the year may receive a Pass for the first semester; the original grade will not be changed. The decision to award credit is based upon the student demonstrating mastery of the content previously failed. Credit will not be granted if a student fails the course for participation or missing assignments. Participation Each day, a total of 20 participation points are possible. Only students who are present in class and actively participating will receive points. 5 points are deducted for each act of non-participation due to being late or leaving the classroom. Up to 20 points may be deducted for non-participation, whether it is due to lack of engagement or causing disruption in class. Assessments Students will be given regular quizzes (multiple choice questions) after major topics and exams (multiple choice and free response questions) after several major topics have been taught. All multiple choice and free response questions will be AP level coming from AP Central, Test Wizard, and/or TOPSS resources, etc. Tests will only be given 3
on assigned test days; quizzes may be given any day, and students may or may not have prior knowledge of a quiz (e.g. pop-quiz vs. announced quiz.) Course Outline I. History and Approaches Module 1 (1 week) [SC1] a. The Story of Psychology [SC1] 1. When and how did psychological science begin? 2. How did psychology continue to develop from the 1920s through today? 3. What is psychology/s historic big issue? 4. What are psychology s levels of analysis and related perspectives? 5. What are psychology s main subfields? 6. How can psychological principles help you as a student? b. Thinking Critically With Psychological Science [SC2] 1. Why are the answers that flow from the scientific approach more reliable than those based on intuition and common sense? 2. What are three main components of the scientific attitude? 3. Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life? 4. Does behavior depend on one s culture and gender? 5. Why do psychologists study animals, and is it ethical to experiment on animals? 6. Is it ethical to experiment on people? 7. Is psychology free of value judgments? II. Research Methods and Statistics Modules 2-3 (3 Weeks ) [SC 17] a. Research Strategies: How Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions 1. How do theories advance psychological science? 2. How do psychologists observe and describe behavior? 3. What are positive and negative correlations, and why do they enable prediction but not cause-effect explanation? 4. What are illusory correlations? 5. How do experiments, powered by random assignment, clarify cause and effect? 6. How can we describe data with measures of central tendency and variation? 7. What principles can guide our making generalizations from samples and deciding whether differences are significant? III. Biological Bases of Behavior Modules 4-6 (3.5 Weeks) [SC 3] a. Neural and Hormonal Systems 1. What are neurons, and how do they transmit information? 2. How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells? 4
3. How do neurotransmitters influence behavior, and how do drugs and other chemicals affect neurotransmitters? 4. What are the functions of the nervous system s main divisions? 5. How does the endocrine system the body s slower information system transmit its messages? b. Tools of Discovery and Older Brain Structures 1. How do neuroscientists study the brain/s connections to behavior and mind? 2. What are the functions of important lower-level brain structures? c. The Cerebral Cortex and Our Divided Brain 1. What functions are served by the various cerebral cortex regions? 2. To what extent can a damaged brain reorganize itself? 3. What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres? 4. How does handedness relate to brain organization? IV. States of Consciousness Modules 7-10 (1 Week) [SC 6] a. The Brain and Consciousness 1. What is the dual processing being revealed by today s cognitive neuroscience? 2. How much information do we consciously attend to at once? b. Sleep and Dreams 1. How do our biological rhythms influence our daily functioning and our sleep and dreams? 2. What is the biological rhythm of our sleep? 3. How does sleep loss affect us? 4. What is sleep s function? 5. What are the major sleep disorders? 6. What do we dream? 7. What is the function of dreams? c. Hypnosis 1. What is hypnosis, and what powers does a hypnotist have over a hypnotized subject? 2. Is hypnosis and extension of normal consciousness or an altered state? d. Drugs and Consciousness 1. What are tolerance, dependence, and addiction, and what are some common misconceptions about addiction? 2. What are depressants, and what are their effects? 3. What are hallucinogens, and what are their effects? 4. What are near-death experiences, and what is the controversy over their explanation? 5. Why do some people become regular users of consciousness-altering drugs? 5
V. Biology Continued (Nature/Nurture) Modules 11-12 (0.5 Weeks) a. Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology 1. What are genes, and how do behavior geneticists explain our individual differences? 2. What is heritability, and how does it relate to individuals and groups? 3. What is the promise of molecular genetics research? 4. How do evolutionary psychologists use natural selection to explain behavior tendencies? 5. How might an evolutionary psychologist explain gender differences in mating preferences? 6. What are the key criticisms of evolutionary psychology? b. Environmental Influences on Behavior To what extent are our lives shaped by early stimulation, by parents, and by peers? 1. How do cultural norms affect our behavior? 2. How do individualist and collectivist cultural influences affect people? 3. What are some ways in which males and females tend to be alike and to differ? 4. How do nature and nurture together form our gender? VI. Life Span Psychology (Developmental Psychology) Modules 13-16 (2 Weeks) [SC 11] a. Prenatal Development and the Newborn 1. How does life develop before birth? 2. What are some newborn abilities, and how do researchers explore infants mental abilities? b. Infancy and Childhood 1. During infancy and childhood, how do the brain and motor skills develop? 2. From the perspective of Piaget and of today s researchers, how does a child s mind develop? 3. How do parent-infant attachment bonds form? 4. How have psychologists studied attachment differences, and what have they learned? 5. Do parental neglect, family disruption, or day care affect children s attachments? 6. How do children s self-concepts develop, and how are children s traits related to parenting styles? c. Adolescence 1. What physical changes mark adolescence? 2. How did Piaget, Kohlberg, and later researchers describe adolescent cognitive and moral development? 6
3. What are the social tasks and challenges of adolescence? 4. What is emerging adulthood? d. Adulthood, and Reflections on Developmental Issues 1. What physical changes occur during middle and late adulthood? 2. How do memory and intelligence change with age? 3. What themes and influences mark our social journey from early adulthood to death? VII. Sensation and Perception Modules 17-22 (3 Weeks) [SC4] [SC5] a. Introduction to Sensation and Perception 1. What are sensation and perception? What do we mean by bottom-up processing and top-down processing? 2. What are the absolute and difference thresholds, and do stimuli below the absolute threshold have any influence? 3. What is the function of sensory adaptation? b. Vision 1. What is the energy that we see as visible light? 2. How does the eye transform light energy into neural messages? 3. How does the brain process visual information? 4. What theories help us understand color vision? c. Hearing 1. What are the characteristics of air pressure waves that we hear as sound? 2. How does the ear transform sound energy into neural messages? 3. What theories help us understand pitch perception? 4. How do we locate sounds? 5. What are the common causes of hearing loss, and why does controversy surround cochlear implants? d. Other Senses 1. How do we sense touch and sense our body s position and movement? How do we experience pain? 2. How do we experience taste? 3. How do we experience smell? e. Perceptual Organization 1. How did the Gestalt psychologists understand perceptual organization? 2. How do figure-ground and grouping principles contribute to our perceptions? 3. How do we see the world in three dimensions? 4. How do we perceive motion? 5. How do perceptual constancies help us organize our sensations into meaningful perceptions? 7
6. Perceptual Interpretation 7. What does research on sensory restriction and restored vision reveal about the effects of experience? 8. How adaptable is our ability to perceive? 9. How do our expectations, contexts, and emotions influence our perceptions? 10.How do human factors psychologists work to create user-friendly machines and work settings? 11.What are the claims of ESP, and what have most research psychologists concluded after putting these claims to the test? VIII. Learning Modules 23-25 (2 Weeks) [SC 7] a. Classical Conditioning 1. What are some basic forms of learning? 2. What is classical conditioning, and how did Pavlov s work influence behaviorism? 3. How does a neutral stimulus become a conditioned stimulus? 4. In classical conditioning, what are the processes of acquisition extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination? 5. Do cognitive processes and biological constraints affect classical conditioning? 6. Why is Pavlov s work important? 7. What have been some applications of classical conditioning? b. Operant Conditioning 1. What is operant conditioning, and how does it differ from classical conditioning? 2. What are the basic types of reinforcers? 3. How do different reinforcement schedules affect behavior? 4. How does punishment affect behavior? 5. Do cognitive processes and biological constraints affect operant conditioning? 6. How might operant conditioning principles be applied at school, in sports, at work, and at home? 7. What is observational learning, and how is it enabled by mirror neurons? 8. What is the impact of prosocial modeling and of antisocial modeling? IX. Memory (Cognition) Modules 26-30 (2 Weeks) [SC 8] a. Introduction to Memory 1. How do psychologists describe the human memory system? b. Encoding: Getting Information In 1. What information do we encode automatically? What information do we encode effortfully, and how does the distribution of practice influence retention? 2. What effortful processing methods aid in forming memories? c. Storage: Retaining Information 1. What is sensory memory? 8
2. What are the duration and capacity of short-term and of long-term memory? 3. How does the brain store our memories? d. Retrieval: Getting Information Out 1. How do we get information out of memory? 2. How do external contexts and internal emotions influence memory retrieval? e. Forgetting, Memory Construction, and Improving Memory 1. How do we forget? 2. How do misinformation, imagination, and source amnesia influence our memory construction? How real-seeming are false memories? 3. What is the controversy related to claims of repressed and recovered memories? 4. How can an understanding of memory contribute to more effective study techniques? X. Language and Thinking (Cognition) Modules 31-32 (2 Weeks) [SC 8] a. Thinking 1. What are the functions of concepts? 2. What strategies assist our problem solving, and what obstacles hinder it? 3. How do heuristics, overconfidence, and belief perseverance influence our decisions and judgments? 4. How do smart thinkers use intuition? b. Language and Thought 1. What are the structural components of a language? 2. What are the milestones in language development? 3. How do we learn language? 4. What brain areas are involved in language processing? 5. What is the relationship between language and thinking? 6. What do we know about animal thinking? Do other animals share our capacity for language? XI. Intelligence (Testing and Individual Differences) Modules 33-35 (1 Week) [SC 13] a. Introduction to Intelligence 1. What arguments support intelligence as one general mental ability, and what arguments support the idea of multiple distinct abilities? 2. How do Gardner s and Sternberg s theories of multiple intelligences differ? 3. What is creativity, and what fosters it? 4. What makes up emotional intelligence? 5. To what extent is intelligence related to brain anatomy and neural processing speed? 9
b. Assessing Intelligence 1. When and why were intelligence tests created? 2. What s the difference between aptitude and achievement tests, and how can we develop and evaluate them? 3. How stable are intelligence scores over the life span? 4. What are the traits of those at the low and high intelligence extremes? c. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence 1. What does evidence reveal about hereditary and environmental influences on intelligence? 2. How and why do gender and racial groups differ in mental ability scores? XII. Motivation and Emotion Modules 36-42 (2 Weeks) [SC 9] [SC 10] a. Introduction to Motivation 1. From what perspectives do psychologists view motivated behavior? b. Hunger 1. What psychological factors produce hunger? 2. What psychological; and cultural factors influence hunger? 3. How do anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder demonstrate the influence of psychological forces on psychologically motivated behaviors? 4. What factors predispose some people to become and remain obese? c. Sexual Motivation and the Need to Belong 1. What stages mark the human sexual response cycle? 2. Do hormones influence human sexual motivation? 3. How do internal and external stimuli influence sexual motivation? 4. What factors influence teen pregnancy and risk of sexually transmitted infections? 5. What has research taught us about sexual orientation? 6. Is scientific research on sexual motivation value free? 7. What evidence points to our human need to belong? d. Motivation at Work 1. How do personnel psychologists help organizations with employee selection, work placement, and performance appraisal? 2. What is the role of organizational psychologists? e. Introduction to Emotion 1. What are the components of an emotion? 2. What is the link between emotional arousal and the autonomic nervous system? 10
3. Do different emotions activate different physiological and brain-pattern responses? 4. To experience emotions, must we consciously interpret and label them? f. Expressed Emotion 1. How do we communicate nonverbally? 2. Are nonverbal expressions of emotion universally understood? 3. Do our facial expressions influence our feelings? g. Experienced Emotion 1. What is the function of fear, and how do we learn fears? 2. What are the causes and consequences of anger? 3. What are the causes and consequences of happiness? XIII. Stress and Health Modules 43-44 (1 Week) a. Stress and Health 1. What is stress? 2. What events provoke stress responses? 3. Why are some of us more prone than others to coronary heart disease? 4. How does stress make us more vulnerable to disease? b. Promoting Health 1. What factors affect our ability to cope with stress? 2. What tactics can we use to manage stress and reduce stress-related ailments? XIV. Personality Modules 45-47 (3 Weeks) [SC 12] a. The Psychoanalytic Perspective 1. What was Freud s view of personality and its development? 2. How did Freud think people defended themselves against anxiety? 3. Which of Freud s ideas did his followers accept or reject? 4. What are projective tests, and how are they used? 5. How do contemporary psychologists view Freud and the unconscious? b. The Humanistic Perspective 1. How did humanistic psychologists view personality, and what was their goal in studying personality? 2. How did humanistic psychologists assess a person s sense of self? 3. How has the humanistic perspective influenced psychology? What criticisms has it faced? c. Contemporary Research on Personality 1. How do psychologists use traits to describe personality? 11
2. What are personality inventories, and what are their strengths and weaknesses as trait-assessment tools? 3. Which traits seem to provide the most useful information about personality variation? 4. Does research support the consistency of personality traits over time and across situations? 5. In the view of social-cognitive psychologists, what mutual influences shape an individual s personality? 6. What are the causes and consequences of personal control? 7. What underlying principle guides social-cognitive psychologists in their assessment of people s behavior and beliefs? 8. What has the social-cognitive perspective contributed to the study of personality, and what criticisms has it faced? 9. Are we helped or hindered by high self-esteem? XV. Abnormal Psychology (Psychological Disorders/Abnormal Behavior) Modules 48-52 (3 Weeks) [SC 14] a. Introduction to Psychological Disorders 1. How should we draw the line between normality and disorder? 2. What perspectives can help us understand psychological disorders? 3. How and why do clinicians classify psychological disorders? 4. Why do some psychologists criticize the use of diagnostic labels? 5. How many people suffer, or have suffered, from a psychological disorder? b. Anxiety Disorders 1. What are anxiety disorders, and how do they differ from ordinary worries and fears? 2. What produces the thoughts and feelings that mark anxiety disorders? c. Dissociative, Personality, and Somatoform Disorders 1. What are dissociative disorders, and why are they controversial? 2. What characteristics are typical of personality disorders? d. Mood Disorders 1. What are mood disorders, and what forms do they take? 2. What causes mood disorders, and what might explain the Western world s rising incidence of depression among youth and young adults? e. Schizophrenia 1. What patterns of thinking, perceiving, feeling, and behaving characterize schizophrenia? 2. What causes schizophrenia? 12
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XVI. Treatment of Abnormal Behavior (Therapy) Modules 53-55 (1 Week) [SC 15] a. The Psychological Therapies 1. What are the aims and methods of psychoanalysis, and how have they been adapted in psychodynamic therapy? 2. What are they basic themes of humanistic therapy, such as Rogers client-centered approach? 3. What are the assumptions and techniques of the behavior therapies 4. What are the goals and techniques of the cognitive therapies? 5. What are the aims and benefits of group and family therapy? b. Evaluating Psychotherapies 1. Does psychotherapy work? Who decides? 2. Are some therapies more effective than others? 3. How do alternative therapies fare under scientific scrutiny? 4. What three elements are shared by all forms of psychotherapy? 5. How do culture and values influence the therapist-client relationship? 6. What is the rationale for preventive mental health programs? c. The Biomedical Therapies 1. What are the drug therapies? What criticisms have been leveled against drug therapies? 2. How effective is electroconvulsive therapy, and what other brain-stimulation options may offer relief from severe depression? 3. What is psychosurgery? 4. How, by caring for their bodies with a healthy life-style, might people find some relief from depression? XVII. Social Psychology Modules 56-59 (2 Weeks) [SC 16] a. Social Thinking 1. How do we tend to explain others behavior and our own? 2. Does what we think affect what we do, or does what we do affect what we think? b. Social Influence 1. What do experiments on conformity and compliance reveal about the power of social influence? 2. How is our behavior affected by the presence of others or by being part of a group? 3. What are group polarization and groupthink? 4. How much power do we have as individuals? Can a minority sway a majority? c. Antisocial Relations 1. What is prejudice? 14
2. What are the social and emotional roots of prejudice? 3. What are the cognitive roots of prejudice? 4. What biological factors make us more prone to hurt one another? 5. What psychological factors may trigger aggressive behavior? d. Prosocial Relations 1. Why do we befriend or fall in love with some people but not with others? 2. How does romantic love typically change as time passes? 3. When are we most and least likely to help? 4. How do social traps and mirror-image perceptions fuel social conflict? 5. How can we transform feelings of prejudice, aggression, and conflict into attitudes that promote peace? The Exam For additional information about the exam, please visit https://student.collegeboard.org The AP Psychology Exam includes a 70-minute multiple-choice section that accounts for two-thirds of the exam grade and a 50-minute free-response section made up of two questions that accounts for one-third of the exam grade. Multiple-choice scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, and no points are awarded for unanswered questions. Because points are not deducted for incorrect answers, students are encouraged to answer all multiple-choice questions. On questions they do not know the correct answer to, students should eliminate as many choices as they can, and then select the best answer among the remaining choices Free-response questions are an appropriate tool for evaluating a student s mastery of scientific research principles and ability to make connections among constructs from different psychological domains (e g, development, personality, learning). 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 eld, or to design, analyze, or critique a research study. How AP Exams Are Scored The exam scoring process, like the course and exam development process, relies on the expertise of both AP teachers and college faculty While multiple-choice questions are scored by machine, the free-response questions are scored by thousands of college faculty and expert AP teachers at the annual AP Reading AP Exam Readers are thoroughly trained, and their work is monitored throughout the Reading for fairness and consistency In each subject, a highly respected college faculty member lls the role of Chief Reader, who, with the help of AP Readers in leadership positions, maintains the accuracy of the scoring standards Scores on the free-response questions are weighted 15
and combined with the results of the computer-scored multiple-choice questions, and this raw score is converted into a composite AP Exam score of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 The score-setting process is both precise and labor intensive, involving numerous psychometric analyses of the results of a speci c AP Exam in a speci c year and of the particular group of students who took that exam Additionally, to ensure alignment with college-level standards, part of the score-setting process involves comparing the performance of AP students with the performance of students enrolled in comparable courses in colleges throughout the United States. In general, the AP composite score points are set so that the lowest raw score needed to earn an AP Exam score of 5 is equivalent to the average score among college students earning grades of A in the college course Similarly, AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to college grades of A, B+, and B. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to college grades of B, C+, and C Using and Interpreting AP Scores The extensive work done by college faculty and AP teachers in the development of the course and the exam and throughout the scoring process ensures that AP Exam scores accurately represent students achievement in the equivalent college course While colleges and universities are responsible for setting their own credit and placement policies, AP scores signify how qualified students are to receive college credit or placement: AP Score Qualification 5 Extremely well qualified 4 Well qualified 3 Qualified 2 Possibly qualified 1 No Recommendation Students enrolled in the exam are expected to take the AP Psychology Exam. Exam Date: Monday, May 1, 2017 Exam Time: 12:00 PM 16
Information will be provided by the schools as to the exam fee, as well as reduction or waiver of fees based on eligibility. Eligibility is determined by your Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Registration and payment for the exam must be completed by November 6, 2016. 17
Please Print and Return this Page by Tuesday, September 13, 2016 AP Psychology Syllabus Dr. Stricklin-Witherspoon 2016.2017 I have read and understand the information contained in the course syllabus, including the grading policy. I understand that both parent/guardian and student are required to register their PupilPath accounts, including a valid email address. Students Name: Student s email: Last, First Signature: Parent s Name: Parent s email: Parent s cell phone: Last, First Signature: Worth: 20 points, classwork 18