AP Psychology Syllabus I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)) Class organization and assessment: This course is divided into four grading periods, during which students will have unit tests consisting of multiple choice questions and free- response questions. Students will be responsible for outside readings, including the text, case studies, and articles. Objectives of this course: Time- management, study skills, and organization Reading skills for various sources and documents Effective writing skills Texts: David Myers, Psychology for AP. Bedford Worth, Second Edition. 2014 Barron s AP Psychology Review optional, but suggested. Expectations for class reading assignments: Students are expected to have assignments from text read when they are assigned. Reading quizzes will be given for each text assignment. Lectures will not be based exclusively from the Myers text; students are responsible for this material. In addition to reading material from the Myers, students are also responsible for any outside material assigned. Students will be expected to complete assignments based on these readings and be able to analyze and discuss them in class. Visual images and more in depth examples will be presented throughout the lectures. Rules: Students must follow all school rules and policies as outlined by the MHS Student Handbook. Any infraction of these rules will not be tolerated. Always remember: 1. Be on time 2. Be prepared 3. Be respectful Objectives: 1. Learn 2. Have fun 3. Prepare for the AP Psychology Exam and earn college credit 1
First Quarter Unit 1: History and Approaches and Research Methods (Modules 1-8) * Psychology s History * Psychology s Big Issues and Approaches * Careers in Psychology * The Need for Psychological Science * The Scientific Method and Description * Correlation and Experimentation * Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life * Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Unit 2: Biological Bases for Behavior** (modules 9-15) * Biological Psychology and Neurotransmission * The Nervous and Endocrine System * Studying the Brain, and Older Brain Structures * The Cerebral Cortex * Brain Hemisphere Organization and the Biology of Consciousness * Behavior Genetics: Predicting Individual Differences * Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding Human Nature **This is labeled as Unit 3 in the text. Unit 3: Developmental Psychology** (Modules 45-54) * Developmental Issues, Prenatal Developmental, and the Newborn * Infancy and Childhood: Physical Development * Infancy and Childhood: Cognitive Development * Infancy and Childhood: Social Development * Gender Development * Parents, Peers, and Early Experiences * Adolescence: Physical and Cognitive Development * Adolescence: Social Development and Emerging Adulthood * Sexual Development * Adulthood: Physical, Cognitive, and Social Development **This is labeled as Unit 9 in the text. Unit 4: States of Consciousness (Modules 22-25) * Understanding Consciousness and Hypnosis * Sleep Patterns and Sleep Theories * Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Dreams * Psychoactive Drugs SEMESTER EXAM Class will take a full- length practice AP test over material covered in first half of the school year. 2
Second Quarter Unit 5: Sensation and Perception** (modules 16-21) * Basic Principles of Sensation and Perception * Influences on Perception * Vision * Visual Organization and Interpretation * Hearing * The Other Senses ** This is labeled as Unit 4 in the text Unit 6: Learning (Modules 26-30) * How We Learn and Classical Conditioning * Operant Conditioning * Operant Conditioning s Applications, and Comparison to Classical Conditioning * Biology, Cognition, and Learning * Learning by Observation Unit 7: Cognition (Modules 31-36) * Studying and Building Memories * Memory Storage Retrieval * Forgetting, Memory Construction, and Memory Improvement * Thinking, Concepts, and Creativity * Solving Problems and Making Decisions * Thinking and Language Unit 8: Testing and Individual Differences ** (modules 60-64) * Introduction to Intelligence * Assessing Intelligence * The Dynamics of Intelligence * Studying Genetic and Environmental Influences of Intelligence * Group Differences and the Question of Bias ** This is Unit 11 in text 3
Third Quarter Unit 9: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress (Modules 37-44) * Motivational Concepts * Hunger Motivation * Sexual Motivation * Social Motivation: Affiliation Needs * Theories and Physiology of Emotion * Expressed Emotion * Stress and Health * Stress and Illness Unit 10: Personality (modules 55-59) * Freud s Psychoanalytic Perspective: Exploring the Unconscious * Psychodynamic Theories and Modern Views of the Unconscious * Humanistic Theories * Trait Theories * Social- Cognitive Theories and Exploring the Self Unit 11: Abnormal Behavior (modules 65-69) * Introduction to Psychological Disorders * Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder * Mood Disorders * Schizophrenia * Other Disorders 4
Fourth Quarter Unit 12: Treatment of Abnormal Behavior (modules 70 73) * Introduction to Therapy, and Psychodynamic and Humanistic Therapies * Behavior, Cognitive, and Group Therapies * Evaluating Psychotherapies and Prevention Strategies * The Biomedical Therapies Unit 13: Social Psychology (modules 81 85) * Attribution, Attitudes, and Actions * Conformity and Obedience * Group Behavior * Prejudice and Discrimination * Aggression * Attraction * Altruism, Conflict, and Peacemaking AP Exam Test Preparation and Review Students will have directed class time preparation to help them review for the test Students will take a full- length practice test during the school day to prepare for content and timing strategies for the AP Exam. Post Examination Assignments Students will have various assignments and activities that will analyze topics covered in the class further. Class will travel to Kent State University to meet with Psychology professor, sit in on an upper level Psychology class and discuss the field of Psychology. 5
Overview and Percentage of AP Exam 1. Psychology s History and Approaches / Research Methods 10-14% 2. Biological Bases 8-10% 3. Developmental Psychology 8-10% 4. Consciousness 2-4% 5. Sensation & Perception 6-8% 6. Learning 7-9% 7. Cognition 8-10% 8. Motivation & Emotion 6-8% 9. Personality 5-7% 10. Testing & Individual Differences 5-7% 11. Abnormal Psychology 7-9% 12. Treatment 5-7% 13. Social Psychology 8-10% 6