AP Psychology Course Syllabus

AP Psychology Course Syllabus 2017-2018 Teacher: Mrs. Tobii Mason Email Address: tobii.r.mason@mcpsmd.net Room: 2005 Phone Number: 301-321-3400 Course Description: The Advanced Placement 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 Advanced Placement Psychology course will offer students the opportunities to learn about the explorations and discoveries made by psychologists over the past century. Students will get the chance to assess some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists, including biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives. Students will also learn the basic skills of psychology research and develop critical thinking skills. The Advanced Placement Psychology course aims to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of most college introductory psychology courses. This course will prepare students to successfully conquer the AP Psychology Exam. Textbook: Myers, David G. Myers Psychology for AP, 2nd Edition, New York, Worth, 2014 Textbooks will be assigned during the first week of class. Reading assignments in the textbook will be given out nightly. Suggested Additional Resources: Strive for 5: Preparing for the AP Psychology Examination, 2 nd Edition, Worth, 2014 (ISBN- 10: 1464156050) Free and Open Resources on the Online textbook website, accessed through http://www.macmillanlearning.com/catalog/studentresources/myersap2e 5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology Review Book Barron s AP Psychology Review Book The Mason 5 Be s Be Honest Be On Task Be Organized Be Prepared My Expectations: Be Respectful 1. Follow the Mason 5 Be s 2. Commit to this class and effectively prepare for the AP Psychology Exam in May 2018. 3. You must arrive to class before the bell rings and begin the daily warm-up. Class starts on time and ends on time. If you are late or need to get organized, don t be dramatic about it. Be quiet and respectful. 4. Come see me if you are having problems. I am on your side. I want to help you. If you don t know what to do, have a question, need help getting organized, or anything else, please come see me BEFORE it is too late. We are on the same team. I am here to help you be successful. Don t forget that!!! 5. All work you submit must be YOUR OWN! Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. I will be checking to ensure that any work you submit is your own and not copied from another student s work. If it s not your own work, you will earn an automatic zero. 6. Use of MCPS Chrome books will be regulated by MCPS technology policies. 7. All Wheaton High School and MCPS procedures and policies are in effect. Absences: The MCPS / Wheaton High School Attendance Policy will be followed. If you know you will be absent ahead of time, or for a considerable amount of time, please let me as soon as you know so we can discuss what you will be missing. Attendance is especially important in an Advanced Placement class. Excessive absences will have a negative effect on your grade and your success on the AP Psychology Exam. Makeup Work Policy: Google Classroom is a valuable resource in finding out what you missed if you are absent. At the beginning of class on the day you return, you will be expected to turn in any assignments that were collected while you were out. Schedule with me after school or during lunch to make up an exam or quiz these cannot be made up during class time. Remember, making up work is your responsibility!

Late Work Policy: This is an AP College level course. This means that I expect you to turn in assignments on time! It is a disservice to your learning and education when you turn in work late. The deadline for an assignment to be turned in is at the unit exam for which it was assigned. For all work turned in past the deadline, as per the MCPS grading policy, the assignment will automatically be reduced 10%. Please note: I do accept assignment turned in via Google Classroom, NEVER VIA EMAIL. Please make sure you submit your assignment under the correct assignment and your completed work is attached / linked. Handing In and Taking Back Assignments: Students are responsible for handing in all assignments, unless otherwise announced by teacher, via the Ravens Bin located in the classroom. Students must place assignments requiring submission in the Ravens Bin, at the beginning of the class period (before the bell rings or within one minute after the bell rings). Any assignments not submitted at the beginning of the class period on the due date are considered late. Students are also responsible for taking back graded assignments, unless otherwise announced by teacher, via the Student Mailboxes Students may find their graded assignments in their folder under their class/period. Students may collect graded work at any point before class, after class, during lunch, etc. However, tests, papers, and other large-scale assignments will be handed back personally to students. Grading Policy: Grades are based on the following scale and follow all MCPS regulations regarding grading and reporting: A = 100-90% B = 89 80% C = 79-70% D = 69-60% E = 59% and below In this class, assignments are broken down in the following way: Summative Assessments (exams and projects) = 50% Formative Assessments (apply & practice activities, classwork, reading quizzes, etc.) = 40% Homework (vocabulary and reading questions) = 10% Materials and Supplies: It is highly recommended that you bring the following to class everyday: A three-ring binder (preferably a 2 with dividers) Lined loose leaf paper (100-200 sheets) Pencils and blue / black pens Highlighters (optional - great when taking notes) Assessment Practices: Unit Exams - These exams are modeled after the AP Exam, with 30+ multiple-choice questions (answer choices A-E) and one FRQ to be completed in approximately one block class period, 90 minutes. Although unit tests will focus on the present unit of study, some questions will be cumulative. Unit Exams will be counted as summative assessments. Projects / Presentations Students can expect to be assigned projects and presentations (group and individual) during each unit of this course. These summative projects and presentations will be assessed through rubrics for content, grammar, organization, structure, and creativity. Reading Quizzes - These are scheduled at least once each unit and use the AP Exam multiple-choice format. These will be counted as formative assessments and may be scheduled with Mrs. Mason for reassessment during lunch or before/after school. Unit Reading Questions - Each unit will have a set of reading questions that students are expected to answer while they are completing the module readings. These reading questions are crucial to learning the content in order to be successful on the AP Psychology exam and in this class. Reading questions will be due on the day of the Unit Exam. Unit Vocabulary - Each unit will have a set of vocabulary words. Students are expected to define these vocabulary concepts in their own words, either on flash cards, typed, written, or using various web applications, such as Quizlet. The unit vocabulary will be due on the day of the Unit Exam.

Course Outline: * Please note that all dates in the syllabus are tentative and are subject to change. Percentage of Semester Unit Title AP Exam Fall Spring Approximate Dates Unit 1: History and Approaches 2-4% September 8 September 15 Unit 2: Research Methods 8-10% September 19 October 4 Unit 3: Biological Bases of Behavior 8-10% October 5 October 25 Unit 4: Sensation and Perception 6-8% October 27 November 8 Unit 5: States of Consciousness 2-4% November 10 November 22 Unit 6: Learning 7-9% November 27 December 13 Unit 7: Cognition 8-10% December 15 January 10 Unit 8: Motivation and Emotion 6-8% January 12 January 24 Unit 9: Developmental Psychology 7-9% January 29 February 7 Unit 10: Personality 5-7% February 9 February 16 Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences 5-7% February 20 March 7 Unit 12: Social Psychology 8-10% March 9 March 23 Unit 13: Abnormal Behavior 7-9% April 3 April 13 Unit 14: Treatment of Abnormal Behavior 5-7% April 16 April 20 Review for AP Psychology Exam April 23 May 4 Final Project / Presentations May 8 May 24 Underclassmen Project / Movie Analysis Project May 25 June 12 The AP Psychology Exam is Monday, May 7, 2018 Noon, Afternoon Session * Multiple Choice Section: 100 questions, 70 minutes * Free Response Section: 2 essay questions, 50 minutes total Exam Grades: 5 = Extremely well qualified 4 = Well qualified 3 = Qualified -------------------------------------- 2 = Possibly qualified 1= No recommendation Review for AP Exam We will review for the AP Exam using a selected number of activities: various collaborative review activities, after school review sessions, using posted review materials on the Google classroom page, using released AP Psychology practice tests (both multiple choice and FRQ), and working in small groups to complete various review activities. I am very excited to be sharing this learning experience with you. Please remember that I am here to support you and teach you to be the best students you can be. I am available during my lunch office hours, as well as before and after school. You can also email me at tobii.r.mason@mcpsmd.net or message me via our Google Classroom. Let s make this an amazing school year and GET READY TO LEARN!!!

AP Psychology Course Outline Fall Semester: * Please note that all dates in the syllabus are tentative and are subject to change. Unit 1: History and Approaches (2 4%) Textbook Modules: 1 3 1 week (9/8 9/15) A. Logic, philosophy, and history of science B. Approaches/perspectives Define psychology and identify early milestones in the field Compare and contrast the psychological perspectives Identify subfields of psychology Identify major historical figures in psychology Application Activity: Perspectives Case Study Unit 2: Research Methods (8 10%) Textbook Modules: 4 8 2 weeks (9/19 10/4) A. Experimental, correlational, and clinical research B. Statistics C. Research Methods and Ethics Identify elements of an experiment (e.g., variables, groups, sampling, and population) Compare and contrast research methods (e.g., case, survey, naturalistic observation) Explain correlational studies Describe the three measures of central tendency and measures of variation Discuss the ethics of animal and human research Application Activity: Naturalistic Observation Stranger Project Unit 3: Biological Bases of Behavior (8 10%) Textbook Modules: 9 15 3 weeks (10/5 10/25) A. Physiological techniques (e.g., imaging, surgical) B. Neuro-anatomy C. Functional organization of the nervous system D. Neural transmission E. Endocrine system F. Genetics G. Evolutionary psychology Describe the structure of a neuron and explain neural impulses Describe neural communication and discuss the impact of neurotransmitters Classify and explain major divisions of the nervous system Identify and describe the functions of brain structures (e.g., thalamus, cerebellum, limbic system) Describe the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and their functions Discuss the association areas Explain split-brain studies Describe the endocrine system Application Project: Zombies Nature vs. Nurture PBL

Unit 4: Sensation and Perception (6 8%) Textbook Modules: 16 21 2 weeks (10/27 11/8) A. Thresholds and signal detection theory B. Sensory mechanisms C. Attention D. Perceptual processes Contrast the processes of sensation and perception Distinguish between thresholds (absolute, difference, Weber s law) Label a diagram of the parts of the eye and the ear Describe the operation of the sensory systems (the five senses) Differentiate the Young Helmholtz and opponent-process theories of color vision Explain the place and frequency theories of pitch Describe Gestalt principles, figure-ground, and depth perception Discuss monocular and binocular cues Application Project: The Tommy Project First Quarter Ends 11/9 Unit 5: States of Consciousness (2 4%) Textbook Modules: 22 25 2 weeks (11/10 11/22) A. Sleep and dreaming B. Hypnosis C. Psychoactive drug effects Describe the sleep cycle and identify what occurs in each stage Compare differences between NREM and REM Describe the major sleep disorders Explain the purpose of dreams Discuss hypnosis and describe the characteristics of those more likely to be hypnotized Discuss dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal in relation to drug use Chart names and effects of depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogenic drugs Describe the effects of depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens Application Project: Dream Journal and Analysis Thanksgiving Break (11/24 11/27) Unit 6: Learning (7 9%) Textbook Modules: 26 30 2 weeks (11/27 12/13) A. Classical conditioning B. Operant conditioning C. Cognitive processes D. Biological factors E. Social learning Describe classical conditioning (Pavlov s experiments) Explain acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination in conditioning Describe operant conditioning (Skinner s experiments) Identify the different types of reinforcers (positive, negative, partial, continuous, primary, and secondary) Describe the schedules of reinforcement Explain cognitive processes and biological predispositions in conditioning Discuss the effects of punishment on behavior Describe the process of observational learning (Bandura s experiments) Application Project: Learning Mind Map Project

Unit 7: Cognition (8 10%) Textbook Modules: 31 36 3 weeks (12/15 1/10) A. Memory B. Language C. Thinking D. Problem solving and creativity Describe sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory Distinguish between automatic and effortful processing Explain the encoding process (e.g., imagery, chunking, hierarchies) Differentiate between implicit and explicit memory Describe the impact of retrieval cues on memory Discuss the effects of interference and motivated forgetting on retrieval Describe Loftus s research on memory reconstruction Identify mnemonic devices (e.g., acronyms, method of loci, peg-word, narrative chaining) Define concepts and prototypes Differentiate algorithms and heuristics when solving problems Explain how the representativeness and availability heuristics are used to make decisions Describe the structure of language (phonemes, morphemes, grammar) Identify language developmental stages (e.g., babbling, one word) Explain the nature nurture debate for language acquisition (Chomsky versus Skinner) Discuss Whorf s linguistic relativity hypothesis Describe the research on animal communication Application Project: Memory Experiment Project Winter Break (12/25 1/1) Unit 8: Motivation and Emotion (6 8%) Textbook Modules: 37 44 2 weeks (1/12 1/24) A. Biological bases B. Theories of motivation C. Hunger, thirst, sex, and pain D. Social motives E. Theories of emotion F. Stress Define motivation and identify motivational theories Explain Maslow s hierarchy of needs Describe the symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa Define achievement motivation, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Describe the three theories of emotion (James Lange, Cannon Bard, Schachter Singer) Identify physiological changes that occur during emotional arousal Discuss the catharsis hypothesis Describe the biological response to stress Application Project: Magazine Ad Analysis End of 2 nd Marking Period and Fall Semester 1/26

Spring Semester: Unit 9: Developmental Psychology (7 9%) Textbook Modules: 45 54 2 weeks (1/29 2/7) A. Life-span approach B. Research methods C. Heredity environment issues D. Developmental theories E. Dimensions of development F. Sex roles and gender roles Describe the course of prenatal development Discuss Piaget s theory of cognitive development Discuss the effect of social development (body contact, familiarity, and parenting styles) Illustrate development changes in physical, cognitive, moral, and social areas Describe the early development of self-concept Identify Kohlberg s moral development stages and apply to scenarios Describe Erikson s psychosocial development stages Distinguish between longitudinal versus cross-sectional studies and crystallized versus fluid intelligence Application Project: Eggsperiment Unit 10: Personality (5 7%) Textbook Modules: 55 59 2 weeks (2/9 2/16) A. Personality theories and approaches B. Assessment techniques C. Growth and adjustment Describe Freud s iceberg theory (id, ego, and superego) Explain how defense mechanisms protect the ego Describe the contributions of the neo-freudians (Jung, Adler, Horney) Describe the humanistic perspective on personality (Maslow s self-actualization and Rogers s self-concept) Identify how personality inventories are used to assess traits Discuss the social-cognitive perspective on personality (Bandura s reciprocal determinism) Identify locus of control, learned helplessness, and optimism Compare and contrast the psychoanalytic, humanistic, trait, and social-cognitive perspectives on personality Application Activity: Who Are You? Project Unit 11: Intelligence - Testing and Individual Differences (5 7%) Textbook Modules: 60 64 2 weeks (2/20 3/7) A. Standardization and norms B. Reliability and validity C. Types of tests D. Ethics and standards in testing E. Intelligence Discuss the origins of intelligence testing Describe the nature of intelligence Differentiate intelligence theories (Spearman, Thurstone, Gardner, and Sternberg) Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests Describe the importance of standardization Distinguish between the reliability and validity of intelligence tests Describe extremes of intelligence Discuss genetic and environmental influences on intelligence Application Project: Theories of Intelligence Gallery Walk Presentation

Unit 12: Social Psychology (8 10%) Textbook Modules: 74 80 3 weeks (3/9 3/23) A. Group dynamics B. Attribution processes C. Interpersonal perception D. Conformity, compliance, obedience E. Attitudes and attitude change F. Organizational behavior G. Aggression/antisocial behavior H. Cultural influences Describe the fundamental attribution error Describe Zimbardo s prison guard experiment and the effects of role-playing on attitudes Discuss the results of Asch s experiment on conformity Discuss Milgram s experiments on obedience Explain social facilitation, social loafing, and de-individuation Differentiate group polarization and groupthink Define and give examples of prejudice Discuss the issues related to aggression and attraction Application Project: Social Psych Experiment Infographic Project Spring Break (3/26 4/2) Third Marking Period Ends 4/9 Unit 13: Abnormal Psychology (7 9%) Textbook Modules: 65 69 2 weeks (4/3 4/13) A. Definitions of abnormality B. Theories of psychopathology C. Diagnosis of psychopathology D. Types of disorders Discuss the purpose of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5) Explain the impact of Rosenhan s study on diagnostic labels Describe and identify symptoms of anxiety disorders (generalized, panic, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder) Discuss dissociative disorders (amnesia, fugue, dissociative identity disorder) Describe and explain the development of somatoform disorders Differentiate mood disorders (major depression versus bipolar) Differentiate hallucinations and delusions, and identify subtypes of schizophrenia Describe the three clusters of personality disorders (anxiety, eccentric, impulsive) Application Project: Gallery Walk / Collaborative Abnormal Disorder Presentations

Unit 14: Treatment of Psychological Disorders (5 7%) Textbook Modules: 70 73 1 week (4/16 4/20) A. Treatment approaches B. Modes of therapy (e.g., individual, group) C. Community and preventive approaches Describe psychoanalytic therapeutic techniques (e.g., free association, interpretation) Discuss Rogers s client-centered therapy Identify counterconditioning techniques Describe the goals of the cognitive therapies Discuss the benefits of group therapy and family therapy Differentiate between antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications Describe electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomies Discuss the effectiveness of the psychotherapies Application Project: Diagnosis Me! PBL Project Afterschool Review Sessions start the week of 4/3 AP Exam Review (4/23 5/4) Final Jam Cram Session on Friday, 5/4 from 2:45 6pm AP Psychology Exam Monday, 5/7 @ 11:30 am Individual AP Psychology Final Project (5/8 5/19) Final Project Presentations (5/22 5/25) Last Day for Seniors is 5/25 Underclassmen Project / Movie Analysis Project (5/26 6/16)