Download AP PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS Mr. Jason Stackhouse Academic

AP PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS
Mr. Jason Stackhouse
Academic Magnet High School
COURSE DESIGN:
The AP Psychology course is a broad introduction to contemporary psychology.
It is a two-semester course taught on a ninety minute block schedule. The class
meets every other day. To succeed, students must possess sound reading and
writing skills. Students must also be prepared to devote substantial time to out of
class study. Higher level thinking, such as analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating
are stressed in this course, along with factual content, answering essay
questions, interpreting primary and secondary sources. The successful
completion of this class satisfies Academic Magnet high school AP graduation
credit.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students Will:
 Develop an appreciation for historical and contemporary psychological
thought in an unbiased manner.
 Be exposed to what psychologists have learned about human behavior
and mental processes in a way that will capture their interest, and
curiosity.
 Learn the methods and procedures psychologists use to describe, explain,
predict, and change behaviors and mental processes.
 Learn about the range of human experience in a manner that will cause
the student to develop a positive regard for human diversity.
 Identify and comprehend the controversies that exist within psychology.
 Increase their awareness of the application of psychological principles
and procedures in other academic and professional fields.
 Realize that knowledge of psychology can lead to an increased
understanding of yourself and others.
 Learn about contemporary problems that face humanity (e.g., substance
abuse, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, eating disorders, homelessness, and
prejudice), and how psychologists are attempting to solve these
problems.
COURSE GRADING:
Grading for this class will run on a point system. The more important an
assignment the higher the weight of the grade. A student’s grade will be
determined by the total amount of points they earned during the semester. This
total will be divided by the total amount of points possible at the end of the
semester.
Grading Scale:
Class-work: writing exercises
Homework: assignments
Quizzes:
Major Projects, papers:
Tests:
5-10 pts.
10-30 pts.
10-25 pts.
50-100 pts.
40-100 pts.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
Students are expected to keep up with the reading on a daily basis. A sure road
to failure in this course happens when a student falls behind in the reading.
Students are responsible for all material assigned whether covered in class or
not. All out of class assignments must be completed on time. Un-excused late
work will NOT be accepted,
COURSE TEXT AND RESOURCES:
Text: Psychology for AP by David G. Meyers; Second Edition (Worth Publishers)
The released AP exams for the years 1999 through 2004 as well as other support
materials are used throughout the year.
Videos used during the year:
 The Mind Series Teaching Modules, 2nd edition
 The Brain Series Teaching Modules, 2nd edition
 Psychology: The Human Experience
 Discovering Psychology Series by Philip G. Zimbardo
 Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Exp. By Zimbardo
ASSESSMENT PRACTICES:
Traditional Assessments Unit Tests
Tests are modeled on the AP Exam, with 50 multiple-choice questions and one
essay to be completed in 58 minutes.
Quizzes
Quizzesare randomly scheduled at least once each unit and use the multiplechoice format.
Midterm Exam
Students take a midterm exam covering the first ten units. The exam is in the
same format as the AP Exam (multiple-choice and short essays), but the number
of multiple-choice questions is reduced proportionately to the time available in
the exam period to maintain a similar time pressure.
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Summer Reading and Journal
Students read one book from an approved list. As they read, they write
reflective responses to passages of their choice in a double-entry journal. They
write a critical review upon completion of the book. The journal and review are
due on the first day of classes.
Unit Journals
Students continue writing in their double-entry journals approximately twice
each week throughout the course. These journals facilitate deep processing of
learning and differentiation of instruction by encouraging critical thinking and
independent exploration. They also provide an additional forum for the teacher
to give feedback to guide individual students. Entries must be linked to the unit
that is being studied and contain the following elements:
• student reflection on readings
• class discussions and activities
• personal experiences
• recent news or television broadcasts, or
• Internet research
Projects:
Naturalistic Observation
Each student completes a I5-minute observation of a human participant in a
naturalistic setting. The purpose is to familiarize students with this method, to
improve their powers of observation, and to help them distinguish between subjective and objective records.
Experimental Design
Students are given a hypothetical research problem and told to write a
proposal for a controlled experiment to solve it. The exercise serves to improve
their understanding of research methodology.
Behavior Modification [CRIB]
Each student designs an application of operant conditioning principles to
modify a human participant's behavior. After receiving IRB (institutional review
board) approval, students attempt the modification over a three-week period.
The project develops firsthand experience of Skinner's theory.
Applications of Developmental Psychology
Students work in small groups to research a recent topic related to the unit on
development (e.g., the benefits of Head Start programs, effectiveness of sex or
drug education programs, effects of divorce on children) and then present their
findings to the class in an oral report of I5 to 20 minutes. The project provides an
introduction to library and online research tools in psychology as well as APA
documentation.
Controlled Experiment
Students research a topic of their choice, subject to IRB approval. The final
project must incorporate a review of literature, discussion of method,
presentation and evaluation of results, and a conclusion.
Review of Literature
Students research a topic of their choice. The final paper must develop an
original thesis on a controversial topic.
Poster Presentation (Final Exam)
In lieu of a traditional final exam, students present the results of their second semester project to the class. Presentation is in poster form accompanied by a
30minute lecture (including a question-and-answer time).
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY PACING GUIDE
Syllabus and pacing guide for complete instructional year on AMHS block schedule.
School year includes 169 instructional days, giving us 85 class periods to complete the course
and review for the advanced placement examination.
UNIT I:
UNIT II:
Psychology’s History and Approaches

Psychology’s History

Psychology’s Big Issues/Approaches

Career’s in Psychology
Research Method: Thinking critically with
Psychological Science
UNIT III:

The Need for Psychological Science

Scientific Method and Description

Correlation and Experimentation

Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life

Frequently Asked Questions
Biological Bases of Behavior

UNIT IV:
(3) classes
(4) classes

Quiz #1

Unit 1/ 2
Exam
(9) classes
Biological Psychology and

Quiz #1
Neurotransmission

Quiz #2

The Nervous/Endocrine Systems

Unit III

The Brain and Structures

Cerebral Cortex

Brain Hemisphere Organization

Behavior Genetics

Evolutionary Psychology
Sensation and Perception

Basic Principles

Influence on Perception
Exam
(5) classes

Unit IV
Exam
UNIT V:

Vision

Visual Organization and Interpretation

Hearing

The Other Senses
States of Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness and Hypnosis

Sleep Patterns and Theories

Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and
(3) classes

Unit V
Exam
Dreams

UNIT VI:
UNIT VII:
Psychoactive Drugs
Learning

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Applications and Comparisons

Biology, Cognition, and Learning

Learning by Observation
Cognition

Studying and Building Memories

Memory Storage and Retrieval

Forgetting, Memory Construction and
(3) classes

Unit VI
Exam
(5) classes

Unit VII
Exam
Improvement
UNIT VIII:

Thinking, Concepts, and Creativity

Solving Problems/Making Decisions

Thinking and Language
Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

Motivational Concepts

Hunger Motivation

Sexual Motivation

Social Motivation

Theories and Physiology of Emotion
(5) classes

Unit VIII
Exam
UNIT IX:

Expressed Emotion

Stress and Health

Stress and Illness
Developmental Psychology

Developmental Issues, Prenatal
(6) classes

Development and the Newborn

Infancy and Childhood: Physical

Infancy and Childhood: Cognitive

Infancy and Childhood: Social

Gender Development

Parents, Peers, and Early Experiences

Adolescence: Physical and Cognitive
Unit IX
Exam
Development

Adolescence: Social Development and
Emerging Adulthood
UNIT X:
UNIT XI:

Sexual Development

Adulthood: Physical, Cognitive, and Social
Personality

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Perspective

Psychodynamic Theories

Humanistic Theories

Trait Theories

Social-Cognitive Theories
Testing and Individual Differences

Introduction to Intelligence

Assessing Intelligence

The Dynamics of Intelligence

Studying Genetic and Environmental
Influences on Intelligence

Group Differences and the Question of Bias
(3) classes

Unit X
Exam
(3) classes

Unit XI
Exam
UNIT XII:
Abnormal Behavior

Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive
(4) classes

Unit XII
Exam
Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
UNIT XIII:

Mood Disorders

Schizophrenia

Other Disorders
Treatment of Abnormal Behavior

(3) classes

Introduction to Therapy, and
Psychodynamic and Humanistic Therapies

Behavior, Cognitive, and Group Therapies

Evaluating Psychodynamic and Prevention
Unit XIII
Exam
Strategies

UNIT XIV:
The Biomedical Therapies
Social Psychology

Attribution, Attitudes, and Actions

Conformity and Obedience

Group Behavior

Prejudice and Discrimination

Aggression

Attraction

Altruism, Conflict, and Peacemaking
REVIEW FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION
(3) classes

Unit XIV
Exam
Ten (10) classes

AP Exam

Final Exam