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AP PSYCHOLOGY COURSE OUTLINE
History & Approaches and Research Methods
Textbook:
Unit 1 (pages 2-15)
Unit 2 (pages 19-46)
Objectives:
 Define psychology and trace its historical development.
 Compare and contrast the seven major psychological
perspectives.
 Identify basic and applied research subfields of psychology.
 Explain the need for psychological science.
 Identify basic elements of an experiment (variables, groups,
sampling, population, etc.).
 Compare and contrast research methods (case, survey,
naturalistic observation).
 Explain positive and negative correlations and why they
cannot predict cause-effect.
 Describe the three measures of central tendency and
measures of variation.
 Discuss the ethics of animal and human research.
Biological Basis of Behavior
Textbook:
Unit 3 (pages 51-110)
Objectives:
 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.
 Describe the functions of the brain structures (thalamus,
cerebellum, limbic system, etc.).
 Identify the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and their
functions.
 Discuss the association areas of the cortex.
 Explain brain lateralization and the split-brain studies.
 Describe the nature of the endocrine system and its
interaction with the nervous system.
Sensation and Perception
Textbook:
Unit 4 (pages 115-169)
Objectives:
 Contrast the processes of sensation and perception.
 Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds.
 Identify the structures of the eye and explain their function
in vision.
 Describe the operation of the sensory systems (five senses).
 Assess the different theories of color vision.
 Explain the monocular and binocular cues used in depth
perception.
 Classify theories of form and motion perception.
 Identify the structures of the outer ear and explain their
function in audition.
 Explain the chemical senses of olfaction and gustation and
how they interrelate.
 Identify the specialized cells in pressure, pain, and
temperature sensation.
 Compare kinesthesis to the vestibular senses
States of Consciousness
Textbook:
Unit 5 (pages 175-210)
Objectives:
 Define the different levels of consciousness and theories of
attention.
 Describe the cyclical nature and possible functions of sleep.
 Compare differences between NREM and REM sleep.
 Identify the major sleep disorders.
 Discuss the content and possible functions of dreams.
 Discuss hypnosis, noting the behavior of hypnotized people
and claims regarding its uses.
 Discuss the nature of drug dependence.
 Describe the physiological and psychological effects of
depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.
AP PSYCHOLOGY COURSE OUTLINE
Learning & Memory
Textbook:
Unit 6 (pages 215-249)
Unit 7a (pages 255-294)
Objectives:
 Explain the process of classical conditioning and its
components (Pavlov’s experiments).
 Describe the process and elements of operant conditioning
(Skinner’s experiments).
 Describe the process of observational learning (Bandura’s
experiments).
 Discuss the biological and cognitive factors in learning.
 Describe memory in terms of information processing, and
distinguish among sensory memory,
short-term memory, and long-term memory.
 Distinguish between automatic and effortful processing.
 Explain the encoding process (including imagery,
organization, etc.)
 Distinguish between implicit and explicit memory.
 Describe the importance of retrieval cues.
 Discuss the effects of interference and motivated forgetting
on retrieval.
 Describe the evidence for the constructive nature of memory.
Thinking & Language
Textbook:
Unit 7b (pages 298-322)
Objectives:
 Explain the physiological structures involved in language.
 Describe the components of language (phonemes,
morphemes, and grammar).
 Identify the stages of language development.
 Assess the theories of linguistic relativity.
 Classify the kinds of thinking.
 Explain the strategies and obstacles to problem solving.
 Demonstrate an understanding of reasoning and logic.
 Evaluate the elements of creativity.
Motivation and Emotion
Textbook:
Unit 8 (pages 327-406)
Objectives:
 Compare the early theories to contemporary views on
motivation.
 Discuss the theories of hunger and hunger regulation.
 Define achievement motivation, including intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation.
 Identify the three theories of emotion (James-Lange,
Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer).
 Describe the physiological changes that occur during
emotional arousal.
 Explain how emotions are measured and studied.
 Describe the biological response to stress.
Developmental Psychology
Textbook:
Unit 9 (pages 411-473)
Objectives:
 Discuss the course of prenatal development.
 Explain changes in physical, cognitive, and social
development throughout the lifespan according to Piaget,
Vygotsky, Erikson, Kohlberg, and Gilligan.
 Differentiate between continuous and discrete models of
development.
 Discuss the effect of body contact, familiarity, and styles of
parenting on children’s temperament and attachments.
 Describe the early development of self-concept.
 Distinguish between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.
 Discuss the effects of age on cognitive abilities.
AP PSYCHOLOGY COURSE OUTLINE
Personality
Textbook:
Unit 10 (pages 479-518)
Objectives:
 Describe the psychodynamic theory of personality in terms
of the interactions of the id, ego, and superego.
 Identify defense mechanisms and how they protect the
individual from anxiety.
 Compare Freud’s theory to neo-Freudian theories.
 Discuss the humanistic perspective on personality.
 Trace the formation of the trait theory of personality and the
methodologies used.
 Explain the role of biology in personality.
 Explain the uses of different projective and objective
personality tests.
 Compare and contrast the different theories of personality.
Intelligence
Textbook:
Unit 11 (pages 523-556)
Objectives:
 List and explain the historical concepts of intelligence and
intelligence testing.
 Describe the importance and types of validity and reliability.
 Evaluate the different contemporary approaches to
intelligence.
 Identify the factors that influence intelligence.
 Summarize research on the nature/nurture debate concerning
intelligence.
 Discuss the two extremes of the normal distribution of
intelligence.
 Examine whether intelligence tests are culturally biased.
Abnormal Psychology
Textbook:
Unit 12 (pages 561-600)
Unit 13 (pages 605-638)
Objectives:
 Differentiate and explain the various approaches to
disorders.
 Understand the aims of the DSM-IV and discuss the
potential dangers of diagnostic labels.
 Describe each category of disorders and the explanations for
the cause from each perspective.
 Apply the five main approaches to psychotherapy to the
different classifications of disorders.
 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of each model of
psychotherapy.
 Discuss eclectic approaches to psychotherapy.
 Identify the common forms of drug therapy and the use of
electroconvulsive therapy.
 Examine the ethical issues of treating individuals with
disorders.
Social Psychology
Textbook:
Unit 14 (pages 643-692)
Objectives:
 Explain the relationship between attitudes and behaviors and
how we form and change attitudes.
 List and describe attributional heuristics and biases.
 Assess the different theories of attraction and love.
 Explain the concepts of obedience and conformity through
the research of Asch and Milgram.
 Discuss how group interaction can facilitate group
polarization and groupthink.
 Describe the social, emotional, and cognitive factors that
contribute to the persistence of cultural, ethnic, and gender
prejudice and discrimination.
 Discuss the issues related to aggression.
 Identify the factors that may facilitate or inhibit
performance.
 Trace the development of prosocial and antisocial behaviors.