AP® Psychology is a one semester course offered in both the fall and spring semesters. The class meets every day for an 85 minute period for 20 weeks. Students in the fall semester are expected to maintain their binders and study materials for review sessions held in the spring prior to the exam. Students in the spring semester will review two units of the course in their textbooks prior to the exam that will not yet have been covered in class. Students in both semesters must complete six learning modules associated with the Biological Bases of Behavior unit prior to the start of the course. Each student is issued their own copy of the textbook and is expected to read sections that correspond to the content being covered in class.
AP® Psychology Syllabus
Course Description
Advanced Placement Psychology is designed to prepare students for the AP® examination administered by the College Board. If successful, students can potentially earn college credit if attending certain colleges. AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavioral and mental processes of human beings. This course aims to foster an interest in psychology as an academic discipline. As this is a one-semester course the pace will be rigorous and students will be required to work independently, learn from reading, and process and remember large amounts of material.
Text: Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green Wood, Denise Boyd. The World of Psychology. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004. Print.
Grades
Grading is done using a point system that gives each assignment a different value based on that assignment’s overall importance to the learning objectives of the class. A homework assignment could have a value of 5 whereas a unit test could be valued at 100. At the end of the term the student’s point total is divided by the number of points the student could have earned and that becomes the student’s grade. Approximately 50% of a student’s grade will be based on tests, 25% based on section quizzes, 15% based on homework, and 10% based on classroom performance.
Assessments
Required:
Tests - Content is cumulative, administered every two units, 75 multiple choice questions, 1 FRQ
Quizzes - Content is unit based, administered every unit, various question styles
Homework - Readings and questions, discussion board postings, small projects, etc…
Classroom Performance - participation in whole class and small group discussions, attendance is good and on-time, respectful of classmates, follows class rules, positive member of the class.
Optional: Students may choose to do any of the following options, one per unit. They can also choose to do none.
Unit Flashcards - 50 terms with definitions on back for 15 points
Reading Guides- Each chapter has teacher generated reading guides worth 20 points
Projects - Large projects are available for most units with variable point values
Scope and Sequence
I . History and Approaches
II . Research Methods
III . Biological Bases of Behavior
IV . Sensation and Perception
V . States of Consciousness
VI . Learning
VII . Cognition and Language
VIII . Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
IX . Developmental Psychology
X . Personality
XI . Testing and Individual Differences
XII . Abnormal Behavior
XIII . Treatment of Abnormal Behavior
XIV . Social Psychology
Course Overview
I. History and Approaches
Chapter 1: pages 21 - 34
A. History of Psychology
B. Approaches to Psychology
C. Careers in Psychology
Guiding Questions
What are the historical origins of the field of psychology and who are the foundational figures?
What are the key stages in the development of psychology?
How has psychology evolved to become more scientific?
What are the different approaches to psychology?
What types of careers do people have with backgrounds in psychology?
II . Research Methods
Chapter 1: pages 5 - 20
A. Descriptive Research Methods
B. Experimental Design
C. Correlation
D. Statistics
E. Ethics
Guiding Questions
Why is the scientific method important to psychology?
What is the difference between descriptive and experimental psychology?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the types of descriptive research methods?
What are the important components of the experimental method?
What the limitations of the experimental method?
What role does bias play in research and what can be done to limit its impact?
What is a correlation and how is it different from causation?
How can statistical analysis and help psychologists?
What ethical rules need to be followed when conducting psychological research?
III . Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 2: pages 40 - 74
A. Nervous System
B. Neurons
C. Brain Anatomy
D. Brain Research History and Techniques
E. Endocrine System
F. Genetics
Guiding Questions
What is the structure and function of the human nervous system?
How do neurons communicate?
What role do drugs play in the nervous system?
What are the major parts of the brain and what are their functions?
What does split brain research tell us about the brain?
How do researches access the human brain?
What role does the endocrine system play in the body?
IV . Sensation and Perception
Chapter 3: pages 80 - 115
A. Anatomy of the Eye and Ear
B. Sensory Thresholds and Adaptation
C. Perceptual Processes
Guiding Questions
How does the human brain make sense of the world around it?
What are the limitations of sensation?
How can perception be wrong?
V . States of Consciousness
Chapter 4: pages 120 - 152
A. Define Consciousness
B. Sleep
C. Hypnosis
D. Drugs
Guiding Questions
What is consciousness?
Why do we sleep? Is all sleep the same?
Why do we dream?
Is hypnosis real?
How can drugs affect our consciousness?
VI . Learning
Chapter 5: pages 159 - 191
A. Classical Conditioning
B. Operant Conditioning
C. Other forms of Learning
D. Learning to Help Behavioral Issues
Guiding Questions
What is the behaviorist definition of learning? How is it different from the everyday usage of the word ‘learn’?
How does classical conditioning work? What are its limitations?
How can operant conditioning be applied to everyday life? What choices does one have when using operant conditioning?
How does learning occur when not done through operant or classical conditioning?
How can we use what we know about learning to help people?
VII . Cognition
Chapter 6: pages 194 - 227, Chapter 7: pages 232 - 257
A. Cognitive Processes
B. Memory
C. Language
D. Creativity
Guiding Questions
Is all thought the same?
How does our brain remember things? How can we improve it?
How do humans acquire language?
What are some common strategies for solving problems?
What do we mean when we say someone is ‘creative’?
VIII . Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 11: pages 372 - 404
A. Biological Bases of Motivation
B. Theories of Motivation
C. Theories of Emotion
D. Stress
Guiding Questions
What is happening in our bodies and brains when we become motivated to do something?
Is all motivation the same?
What role does hunger play in motivation?
What role does emotion play in influencing human behavior?
Which came first: the thought or the emotion?
Are some emotional expressions the same across cultures? Different?
How can stress be both bad and good?
IX . Developmental Psychology
Chapter 9: pages 298 - 335
Chapter 10: pages 338 - 370
A. Prenatal Development
B. Piaget
C. Ainsworth
D. Baumrind
E. Erikson
F. Kohlberg
Guiding Questions
Prior to birth how does a baby develop in the womb? How can the mother’s behaviors affect the fetus?
Do all people go through the same stages of development or can different people take different paths?
What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
What affect can parenting styles have on children?
What are some unique aspects of adolescence?
Are we born knowing right from wrong? Does our understanding of right and wrong change over time?
X . Personality
Chapter 14: pages 471 - 499
A. Freud’s Theory of Personality
B. Other Approaches to Personality
C. Trait Theory - The Big Five
D. Personality Tests
Guiding Questions
What are Freud’s lasting contributions to psychology’s understanding of personality?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches to studying personality?
Is trait theory on the right track?
How do psychologists define and measure personality?
XI . Testing and Individual Differences
Chapter 8: pages 263 - 295
A. Intelligence Defined
B. Measurement Over Time
C. Cultural Impacts
D. Statistics
Guiding Questions
What is intelligence?
How can we measure intelligence? How has testing changed over time?
How can cultural differences impact both the definition of intelligence and how it is measured?
What does it mean if a test is reliable? Valid?
What statistical measures are useful in interpreting testing data?
XII . Abnormal Behavior
Chapter 15: pages 505 - 530
A. Define and Explain Abnormal
B. Types of Psychological Disorders
1. Anxiety
2. Somatoform
3. Mood
4. Schizophrenic
5. Personality
6. Dissociative
Guiding Questions
How do we define ‘abnormal’? How has this changed over time?
How do psychologists explain psychological disorders? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?
How can disorders be categorized? What are the symptoms of each category?
How prevalent are mental disorders?
XIII . Treatment of Abnormal Behavior
Chapter 16: pages 536 - 558
A. Approaches to Treatment
B. Relationship and Group Therapy
C. Cultural Considerations
Guiding Questions
What are the various strategies used by therapists?
Are some more effective with certain types of disorders?
How can an individual’s culture impact their view of therapy?
XIV . Social Psychology
Chapter 17: pages 563 - 588
A. Social Perception
B. Attraction
C. Conformity, Obedience, and Compliance
D. Group Influence
E. Attitudes
F. Prosocial Behavior
G. Aggression
H. Prejudice
Guiding Questions
Do people behave differently when in groups of people?
What makes people attracted to other people?
How do social roles influence individual behavior?
What motivates one person to help another? Does it change when we’re in groups?
What causes someone to be aggressive?
What is the psychological basis for prejudice and discrimination?
AP® Psychology Syllabus
Course Description
Advanced Placement Psychology is designed to prepare students for the AP® examination administered by the College Board. If successful, students can potentially earn college credit if attending certain colleges. AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavioral and mental processes of human beings. This course aims to foster an interest in psychology as an academic discipline. As this is a one-semester course the pace will be rigorous and students will be required to work independently, learn from reading, and process and remember large amounts of material.
Text: Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green Wood, Denise Boyd. The World of Psychology. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004. Print.
Grades
Grading is done using a point system that gives each assignment a different value based on that assignment’s overall importance to the learning objectives of the class. A homework assignment could have a value of 5 whereas a unit test could be valued at 100. At the end of the term the student’s point total is divided by the number of points the student could have earned and that becomes the student’s grade. Approximately 50% of a student’s grade will be based on tests, 25% based on section quizzes, 15% based on homework, and 10% based on classroom performance.
Assessments
Required:
Tests - Content is cumulative, administered every two units, 75 multiple choice questions, 1 FRQ
Quizzes - Content is unit based, administered every unit, various question styles
Homework - Readings and questions, discussion board postings, small projects, etc…
Classroom Performance - participation in whole class and small group discussions, attendance is good and on-time, respectful of classmates, follows class rules, positive member of the class.
Optional: Students may choose to do any of the following options, one per unit. They can also choose to do none.
Unit Flashcards - 50 terms with definitions on back for 15 points
Reading Guides- Each chapter has teacher generated reading guides worth 20 points
Projects - Large projects are available for most units with variable point values
Scope and Sequence
I . History and Approaches
II . Research Methods
III . Biological Bases of Behavior
IV . Sensation and Perception
V . States of Consciousness
VI . Learning
VII . Cognition and Language
VIII . Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
IX . Developmental Psychology
X . Personality
XI . Testing and Individual Differences
XII . Abnormal Behavior
XIII . Treatment of Abnormal Behavior
XIV . Social Psychology
Course Overview
I. History and Approaches
Chapter 1: pages 21 - 34
A. History of Psychology
B. Approaches to Psychology
C. Careers in Psychology
Guiding Questions
What are the historical origins of the field of psychology and who are the foundational figures?
What are the key stages in the development of psychology?
How has psychology evolved to become more scientific?
What are the different approaches to psychology?
What types of careers do people have with backgrounds in psychology?
II . Research Methods
Chapter 1: pages 5 - 20
A. Descriptive Research Methods
B. Experimental Design
C. Correlation
D. Statistics
E. Ethics
Guiding Questions
Why is the scientific method important to psychology?
What is the difference between descriptive and experimental psychology?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the types of descriptive research methods?
What are the important components of the experimental method?
What the limitations of the experimental method?
What role does bias play in research and what can be done to limit its impact?
What is a correlation and how is it different from causation?
How can statistical analysis and help psychologists?
What ethical rules need to be followed when conducting psychological research?
III . Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 2: pages 40 - 74
A. Nervous System
B. Neurons
C. Brain Anatomy
D. Brain Research History and Techniques
E. Endocrine System
F. Genetics
Guiding Questions
What is the structure and function of the human nervous system?
How do neurons communicate?
What role do drugs play in the nervous system?
What are the major parts of the brain and what are their functions?
What does split brain research tell us about the brain?
How do researches access the human brain?
What role does the endocrine system play in the body?
IV . Sensation and Perception
Chapter 3: pages 80 - 115
A. Anatomy of the Eye and Ear
B. Sensory Thresholds and Adaptation
C. Perceptual Processes
Guiding Questions
How does the human brain make sense of the world around it?
What are the limitations of sensation?
How can perception be wrong?
V . States of Consciousness
Chapter 4: pages 120 - 152
A. Define Consciousness
B. Sleep
C. Hypnosis
D. Drugs
Guiding Questions
What is consciousness?
Why do we sleep? Is all sleep the same?
Why do we dream?
Is hypnosis real?
How can drugs affect our consciousness?
VI . Learning
Chapter 5: pages 159 - 191
A. Classical Conditioning
B. Operant Conditioning
C. Other forms of Learning
D. Learning to Help Behavioral Issues
Guiding Questions
What is the behaviorist definition of learning? How is it different from the everyday usage of the word ‘learn’?
How does classical conditioning work? What are its limitations?
How can operant conditioning be applied to everyday life? What choices does one have when using operant conditioning?
How does learning occur when not done through operant or classical conditioning?
How can we use what we know about learning to help people?
VII . Cognition
Chapter 6: pages 194 - 227, Chapter 7: pages 232 - 257
A. Cognitive Processes
B. Memory
C. Language
D. Creativity
Guiding Questions
Is all thought the same?
How does our brain remember things? How can we improve it?
How do humans acquire language?
What are some common strategies for solving problems?
What do we mean when we say someone is ‘creative’?
VIII . Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 11: pages 372 - 404
A. Biological Bases of Motivation
B. Theories of Motivation
C. Theories of Emotion
D. Stress
Guiding Questions
What is happening in our bodies and brains when we become motivated to do something?
Is all motivation the same?
What role does hunger play in motivation?
What role does emotion play in influencing human behavior?
Which came first: the thought or the emotion?
Are some emotional expressions the same across cultures? Different?
How can stress be both bad and good?
IX . Developmental Psychology
Chapter 9: pages 298 - 335
Chapter 10: pages 338 - 370
A. Prenatal Development
B. Piaget
C. Ainsworth
D. Baumrind
E. Erikson
F. Kohlberg
Guiding Questions
Prior to birth how does a baby develop in the womb? How can the mother’s behaviors affect the fetus?
Do all people go through the same stages of development or can different people take different paths?
What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
What affect can parenting styles have on children?
What are some unique aspects of adolescence?
Are we born knowing right from wrong? Does our understanding of right and wrong change over time?
X . Personality
Chapter 14: pages 471 - 499
A. Freud’s Theory of Personality
B. Other Approaches to Personality
C. Trait Theory - The Big Five
D. Personality Tests
Guiding Questions
What are Freud’s lasting contributions to psychology’s understanding of personality?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches to studying personality?
Is trait theory on the right track?
How do psychologists define and measure personality?
XI . Testing and Individual Differences
Chapter 8: pages 263 - 295
A. Intelligence Defined
B. Measurement Over Time
C. Cultural Impacts
D. Statistics
Guiding Questions
What is intelligence?
How can we measure intelligence? How has testing changed over time?
How can cultural differences impact both the definition of intelligence and how it is measured?
What does it mean if a test is reliable? Valid?
What statistical measures are useful in interpreting testing data?
XII . Abnormal Behavior
Chapter 15: pages 505 - 530
A. Define and Explain Abnormal
B. Types of Psychological Disorders
1. Anxiety
2. Somatoform
3. Mood
4. Schizophrenic
5. Personality
6. Dissociative
Guiding Questions
How do we define ‘abnormal’? How has this changed over time?
How do psychologists explain psychological disorders? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?
How can disorders be categorized? What are the symptoms of each category?
How prevalent are mental disorders?
XIII . Treatment of Abnormal Behavior
Chapter 16: pages 536 - 558
A. Approaches to Treatment
B. Relationship and Group Therapy
C. Cultural Considerations
Guiding Questions
What are the various strategies used by therapists?
Are some more effective with certain types of disorders?
How can an individual’s culture impact their view of therapy?
XIV . Social Psychology
Chapter 17: pages 563 - 588
A. Social Perception
B. Attraction
C. Conformity, Obedience, and Compliance
D. Group Influence
E. Attitudes
F. Prosocial Behavior
G. Aggression
H. Prejudice
Guiding Questions
Do people behave differently when in groups of people?
What makes people attracted to other people?
How do social roles influence individual behavior?
What motivates one person to help another? Does it change when we’re in groups?
What causes someone to be aggressive?
What is the psychological basis for prejudice and discrimination?