Subject Area: Introduction to Psychology Course Description: Introduction to Psychology is an elective class available to juniors and seniors. The instruction model will be flexible and differentiated. Detailed in the following pages are the potential units covered in the class. Unit One is a permanent component of the course, but the remaining units will vary. The additional units covered will depend upon several variables including teacher discretion, student strengths and interests, and current trends in psychology. The curriculum strives to create a course that is adaptive and relevant in its introduction to psychology. Unit One: Introduction to Psychology: Approaches and Research Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain, and analyze the purpose of studying psychology, the history of psychology, and professions in psychology. Students will understand, explain, and analyze methods of research, the experimental process, and problems and solutions in psychological research. Students will examine the definition of psychology and analyze its validity as a science. Students will identify the goals of psychology and the scientific method. Students will examine the origins of psychology. Students will examine and analyze historical and contemporary approaches to psychology. Students will examine psychology as a profession and psychological professional organizations. Students will examine and define pre-research decisions and the scientific method. Students will examine and analyze the different methods of research. Students will examine and analyze ethical issues in psychological experimentation. Students will examine and analyze problems and solutions in experimentation. Students will conduct or analyze a psychological experiment using the scientific method. Case study analyses Psychology experiment or experiment analysis 1
Remediation Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA (American Psychological Association) website Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Psychology Experiment Rubric Student digital notebook Unit Two: Theories of Personality Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain, and analyze the definition of personality, the major theories of personality, and personality testing. Students will examine and define personality. Students will analyze the purpose of personality theories. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate Psychoanalytical/Freudian (psychodynamic) theories of personality. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate Neo-Freudian theories of personality. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate defense mechanisms. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate learning theories of personality. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate humanistic and cognitive theories of personality. 2
Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate trait theories of personality. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate genetic and biological theories of personality. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate personality tests. Students will take selected personality tests as a final activity with the understanding that the results are unofficial in a nonclinical setting. The activity is designed to provide students with an interactive and fun conclusion to the unit. Case study analyses Personality Tests Remediation 3
Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA website Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Student digital notebook Unit Three: Psychological Disorders Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain, and analyze the definition of psychological disorders, changes in the DSM-5, theories on the causes of psychological disorders, the categories of psychological disorders, and the treatment of psychological disorders. Students will examine and define psychological disorders. Students will examine and analyze changes to the DSM -5 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual). Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate models on the causes and classification of psychological disorders. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate anxiety disorders. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate somatoform and dissociative disorders. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate schizophrenia and mood disorders Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate personality disorders. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate alcohol use disorder. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate models of treatment for psychological disorders. Case study analyses 4
Remediation Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA website DSM - 4 and DSM - 5 Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Student digital notebook Unit Four: Memory and Thought Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain, and analyze the definition of memory, different models of memory, the brain and memory, and diseases linked to memory. Students will examine and define memory. Students will examine, analyze and evaluate the three box model of memory. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the multisytem model of memory. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate research on the brain and memory. Students will examine, analyze and utilize strategies for improving memory. Students will examine and analyze the symptoms, and treatment of Alzheimer s disease. Students will examine and analyze the theories on the causes of Alzheimer s disease. 5
Memory Tests and experiments Remediation Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA website DSM - 4 and DSM - 5 Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Student digital notebook 6
Unit Five: Learning Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain and analyze the definition of learning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning theories. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the principles of classical conditioning. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate classical conditioning and its connection to human behavior. Students will apply the classical conditioning model to real life situations. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the principles of operant conditioning. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate positive and negative reinforcement in operant conditioning. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate shaping and chaining in operant conditioning. Students will apply the operant conditioning model to real life situations. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the principles of social learning theories. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate cognitive learning, modeling, and behavior modification. Students will apply social learning theories to real life situations. Memory Tests and experiments Remediation 7
Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA website Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Student digital notebook Unit Six: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence Testing Unit Outcomes: Students will understand, explain, and analyze thinking and problem solving, creativity, the structure of language, language development, and theories on intelligence and intelligence testing. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate units of thought, kinds of thought, and decision making processes. Students will examine, analyze and evaluate obstacles to problem solving and the use of creativity in solving problems. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the structure of language and language development. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate theories on intelligence and the development of intelligence tests. Students will examine, analyze, and evaluate the meaning of and debate surrounding IQ scores. 8
Memory Tests and experiments Remediation Textbook: Kasschau, Richard A. Ph.D. Understanding Psychology, New York: McGraw Hill, 2014. Supplemental resources and readings APA website Google Classroom Video and internet clips: You Tube and Crash Courses Student digital notebook 9