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AP Psych Exam – Monday, May 6th, 2013 @ 12:00pm
Blackmon AP Psychology Syllabus
[email protected] (email)
Office Hours: M-T-F 7:45 a.m./T-W 3:45 p.m.
http://www.cobbk12.org/Hillgrove/departments/social_studies/socialstudies.aspx (blog)
Psychology (8th Edition) by David G. Myers (book)
http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/myers8e/default.asp (textbook website*)
Study Aids: I-Phone Apps: AP Psychology – 5 Steps to a 5 ($9.99)
AP Psychology Prep – Brainscape ($9.99)
AP Psychology ($4.99) & G Flash Pro ($3.99)
Course Description: Advanced Placement Psychology is a course that introduces students to the systematic and scientific
study of behavior and mental processes of humans and animals. This course teaches the application and process of ethical
research methods used in psychological science and practice.
Content and/or Skills Taught: The purpose of AP Psychology is to provide the student with an in depth learning
experience equivalent to a college introductory psychology course. Students are exposed to:
 psychological facts;
 principles;
 phenomena associated with each of the major subfields;
 methods psychologists use in their science and practice;
 a minimum of 5 laboratory experiments with each specific unit stated.
Topics of Study: The AP Psychology Exam covers the following content areas. The percentage goals for each area are
equivalent to those given on the multiple choice section of the AP Psychology exam.
UNIT 1 HISTORY AND METHODOLOGY (12 days)JANUARY 8- 18
1. History and Approaches 1. Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of
psychological thought.
(2-4%)
A. Logic, Philosophy, and 2. Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years;
History of Science
Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later;
B. Approaches
evolutionary, biological, and cognitive as more contemporary approaches.
1.Biological
3. Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
2. Behavioral
4. Distinguish the different domains of psychology:
3. Cognitive
biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational,
4. Humanistic
experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality,
5. Psychodynamic
psychometric, and social.
6. Sociocultural
5. Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins,
7. Evolutionary/
Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James,
Sociobiological
Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F. Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn,
John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt).
6. Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey
research, naturalistic observations, and case studies) with regard to
purpose,
2. Research Methods
strengths, and weaknesses.
(8-10%)
A. Experimental,
Correlational, and Clinical
Research
1. Correlational (e.g.,
observational, survey,
clinical)
2. Experimental
B. Statistics
1. Descriptive
2. Inferential
C. Ethics in Research
7. Describe how research design drives the reasonable conclusions that can be
drawn (e.g., experiments are useful for determining cause and effect; the
use of experimental controls reduces alternative explanations).
8. Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in
experimental designs.
9. Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in
experiments and random selection of participants, primarily in correlational
studies and surveys.
10. Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research
design (e.g., confounding variables limit confidence in research conclusions).
11. Distinguish the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
12. Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and
constructing graphs and calculating simple descriptive statistics
(e.g., measures of central tendency, standard deviation).
13. Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in
behavioral research.
14. Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
15. Describe how ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., those provided by the American
Psychological Association, federal regulations, local institutional review boards)
protect research participants and promote sound ethical practice.
UNIT 2 BIOLOGY OF PSYCHOLOGY (8-10%) (24 days)
JAN 22-Feb 1
16. Identify basic processes and systems in the biological bases of behavior,
3. Biological Bases of
including parts of the neuron and the process of transmission of a signal
Behavior
between neurons.
A. Physiological
17.
Discuss
the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake
Techniques (e.g., imaging,
mechanisms).
surgical)
18. Discuss the effect of the endocrine system on behavior.
B. Neuroanatomy
19. Describe the nervous system and its subdivisions and functions:
C. Functional
central and peripheral nervous systems; major brain regions, lobes, and
Organization of Nervous
cortical areas; brain lateralization and hemispheric specialization.
System
20. Recount historic and contemporary research strategies and technologies that
D. Neural Transmission
support research (e.g., case studies, split-brain research, imaging
E. Endocrine System
techniques).
F. Genetics
21. Discuss psychology’s abiding interest in how heredity, environment, and
evolution work together to shape behavior.
22. Predict how traits and behavior can be selected for their adaptive value.
23. Identify key contributors (e.g., Paul Broca, Charles Darwin, Michael Gazzaniga,
Roger Sperry, Carl Wernicke).
FEB 4-6
24. Discuss basic principles of sensory transduction, including absolute threshold,
4. Sensation and
difference threshold, signal detection, and sensory adaptation.
Perception (6-8%)
25. Describe sensory processes (e.g., hearing, vision, touch, taste, smell, vestibular,
A. Thresholds
kinesthesis, pain), including the specific nature of energy transduction, relevant
B. Sensory Mechanisms
anatomical structures, and specialized pathways in the brain for each of the
C. Sensory Adaptation
senses.
D. Attention
26. Explain common sensory disorders (e.g., visual and hearing impairments).
E. Perceptual Process
27. Describe general principles of organizing and integrating sensation to promote
stable awareness of the external world (e.g., Gestalt principles, depth
perception).
28. Discuss how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes (e.g.,
perceptual set, context effects).
29. Explain the role of top-down processing in producing vulnerability to illusion.
30. Discuss the role of attention in behavior.
31. Challenge common beliefs in parapsychological phenomena.
32. Identify the major historical figures in sensation and perception (e.g., Gustav
Fechner, David Hubel, Ernst Weber, Torsten Wiesel).
FEB 7-8
33. Describe various states of consciousness and their impact on behavior.
34. Discuss aspects of sleep and dreaming:
a. stages and characteristics of the sleep cycle;
b. theories of sleep and dreaming;
c. symptoms and treatments of sleep disorders.
35. Describe historic and contemporary uses of hypnosis (pain control,
psychotherapy).
36. Explain hypnotic phenomena (e.g., suggestibility, dissociation).
37. Identify the major psychoactive drug categories (e.g., depressants, stimulants)
and classify specific drugs, including their psychological and physiological
effects.
38. Discuss drug dependence, addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal.
39. Identify the major figures in consciousness research (e.g., William James,
Sigmund Freud, Ernest Hilgard).
UNIT 3 THINKING AND FEELING (24 days)
FEB 11-22
40. Distinguish general differences between principles of classical conditioning,
operant conditioning, and observational learning (e.g., contingencies).
6. Learning (7-9%)
A. Classical Conditioning 41. Describe basic classical conditioning phenomena, such as acquisition, extinction,
42. spontaneous recovery, generalization, discrimination, and higher-order learning.
B. Operant Conditioning
C. Cognitive Processes In 43. Predict the effects of operant conditioning (e.g., positive reinforcement, negative
reinforcement, punishment, schedules of reinforcement).
Learning
44. Predict how practice, schedules of reinforcement, and motivation will influence
D. Biological Factors
quality of learning.
E. Social Learning
45. Interpret graphs that exhibit the results of learning experiments.
5. States of Consciousness
(2-4%)
A. Sleep and Dreaming
B. Hypnosis
C. Psychoactive Drug
Effects
7. Cognition (8-10%)
A. Memory
B. Language
C. Thinking
D. Problem Solving and
Creativity
8. Motivation and Emotion
(6-8%)
A. Biological Bases
B. Theories of Motivation
C. Hunger, Thirst, Sex,
and Pain
46. Provide examples of how biological constraints create learning predispositions.
47. Describe the essential characteristics of insight learning, latent learning, and
social learning.
48. Apply learning principles to explain emotional learning, taste aversion,
superstitious behavior, and learned helplessness.
49. Suggest how behavior modification, biofeedback, coping strategies, and self
control can be used to address behavioral problems.
50. Identify key contributors in the psychology of learning (e.g., Albert Bandura,
John Garcia, Ivan Pavlov, Robert Rescorla, B. F. Skinner, Edward Thorndike,
Edward Tolman, John B. Watson).
FEB 25-MAR5
51. Compare and contrast various cognitive processes:
a. effortful versus automatic processing;
b. deep versus shallow processing;
c. focused versus divided attention.
52. Describe and differentiate psychological and physiological systems of memory
(e.g., short-term memory, procedural memory).
53. Outline the principles that underlie effective encoding, storage, and construction
of memories.
54. Describe strategies for memory improvement.
55. Synthesize how biological, cognitive, and cultural factors converge to facilitate
acquisition, development, and use of language.
56. Identify problem-solving strategies as well as factors that influence their
effectiveness.
57. List the characteristics of creative thought and creative thinkers.
58. Identify key contributors in cognitive psychology (e.g., Noam Chomsky,
Hermann Ebbinghaus, Wolfgang Köhler, Elizabeth Loftus, George A. Miller).
MAR 6-8
59. Identify and apply basic motivational concepts to understand the behavior of
humans and other animals (e.g., instincts, incentives, intrinsic versus extrinsic
motivation).
60. Discuss the biological underpinnings of motivation, including needs, drives, and
homeostasis.
61. Compare and contrast motivational theories (e.g., drive reduction theory, arousal
D. Social Motives
E. Theories of Emotion
F. Stress
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
theory, general adaptation theory), including the strengths and weaknesses of
each.
Describe classic research findings in specific motivation systems (e.g., eating,
sex, social)
Discuss theories of stress and the effects of stress on psychological and physical
well-being.
Compare and contrast major theories of emotion (e.g., James–Lange, Cannon
Bard, Schachter two-factor theory).
Describe how cultural influences shape emotional expression, including
variations in body language.
Identify key contributors in the psychology of motivation and emotion (e.g.,
William James, Alfred Kinsey, Abraham Maslow, Stanley Schachter, Hans
Selye).
UNIT 4 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, TESTING AND PERSONALITY (15 days)
MAR 11-15
9. Developmental
Psychology (7-9%)
67. Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture (including cultural variations) in
A. Life-Span Approach
the determination of behavior.
B. Research Methods
(longitudinal, 68. Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that
influencesuccessful fetal development (e.g., nutrition, illness, substance abuse).
cross-sectional)
69.
Discuss maturation of motor skills.
C. Heredity
70.
Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment
Environmental Issues
and appropriate socialization.
D. Developmental
71. Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (e.g., Piaget’s stages, information
Theories
processing).
E. Dimensions of
72. Compare and contrast models of moral development (e.g., Kohlberg, Gilligan).
Development 73. Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence, including related family
1. Physical
conflicts.
2. Cognitive
74. Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.
3. Social
75. Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge as people age, including
4. Moral
steps that can be taken to maximize function.
76. Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of
F. Sex Roles, Sex
development.
Differences
77. Identify key contributors in developmental psychology (e.g., Mary Ainsworth,
Albert Bandura, Diana Baumrind, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Carol Gilligan,
Harry Harlow, Lawrence Kohlberg, Konrad Lorenz, Jean Piaget, Lev
Vygotsky).
10. Personality (5-7%)
A. Personality theories
and Approaches
B. Assessment
Techniques
C. Self-concept, SelfEsteem
D. Growth and
Adjustment
11. Testing and Individual
Differences (5-7%)
MAR 18-22
78. Compare and contrast the major theories and approaches to explaining
personality: psychoanalytic, humanist, cognitive, trait, social learning, and
behavioral.
79. Describe and compare research methods (e.g., case studies and surveys) that
psychologists use to investigate personality
80. Identify frequently used assessment strategies (e.g., the Minnesota Multiphasic
81. Personality Inventory [MMPI], the Thematic Apperception Test [TAT]), and
evaluate relative test quality based on reliability and validity of the instruments.
82. Speculate how cultural context can facilitate or constrain personality
development, especially as it relates to self-concept (e.g., collectivistic versus
individualistic cultures).
83. Identify key contributors to personality theory (e.g., Alfred Adler, Albert
Bandura, Paul Costa and Robert McCrae, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Abraham
Maslow, Carl Rogers).
MAR 25-29
84. Define intelligence and list characteristics of how psychologists measure
intelligence:abstract versus verbal measures;speed of processing.
A. Standardization and
Norms
B. Reliability and
Validity
C. Types of Tests
D. Ethics and Standards
in Testing
E. Intelligence
F. Heredity/Environment
and Intelligence
G. Human Diversity
85. Discuss how culture influences the definition of intelligence.
86. Compare and contrast historic and contemporary theories of intelligence (e.g.,
Charles Spearman, Howard Gardner, Robert Sternberg).
87. Explain how psychologists design tests, including standardization strategies and
other techniques to establish reliability and validity.
88. Interpret the meaning of scores in terms of the normal curve.
89. Describe relevant labels related to intelligence testing (e.g., gifted,
cognitively disabled).
90. Debate the appropriate testing practices, particularly in relation to culture-fair
test uses.
91. Identify key contributors in intelligence research and testing (e.g., Alfred Binet,
Francis Galton, Howard Gardner, Charles Spearman, Robert Sternberg, Louis
Terman, David Wechsler).
UNIT 5 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY, TREATMENT AND SOCIAL (12 days)
APR 11-15
92. Describe contemporary and historical conceptions of what constitutes
12. Abnormal Psychology
psychological disorders.
(7-9%)
93.
Recognize the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
A. Definitions of
(DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association as the primary
Abnormality
reference for making diagnostic judgments.
B. Theories of
94.
Discuss the major diagnostic categories, including anxiety and somatoform
Psychopathology
disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, organic disturbance, personality
C. Diagnosis of
disorders, and dissociative disorders, and their corresponding symptoms.
Psychopathology
95. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of various approaches to explaining
D. Anxiety Disorders
psychological disorders: medical model, psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive,
E. Somatoform Disorders
biological, and sociocultural
F. Mood Disorders
G. Schizophrenic
96. Identify the positive and negative consequences of diagnostic labels (e.g., the
Disorders
Rosenhan study).
H. Organic Disorders
97. Discuss the intersection between psychology and the legal system
confidentiality, insanity defense).
I. Personality Disorders
J. Dissociative Disorders
APR 15-19
13. Treatment of Abnormal 98. Describe the central characteristics of psychotherapeutic intervention.
Behavior (5-7%) 99. Describe major treatment orientations used in therapy (e.g., behavioral,
cognitive, humanistic) and how those orientations influence therapeutic planning.
A. Treatment Approaches
100. Compare and contrast different treatment formats (e.g., individual, group).
1. Insight Therapies
Summarize effectiveness of specific treatments used to address specific
psychodynamic/ 101.
problems.
humanistic approaches
102.
Discuss how cultural and ethnic context influence choice and success of
2. Behavioral view
treatment (e.g., factors that lead to premature termination of treatment).
3. Cognitive view
103.
Describe prevention strategies that build resilience and promote competence.
4. Biological View
104. Identify major figures in psychological treatment (e.g., Aaron Beck, Albert
(psychopharmacology/psych
Ellis,Sigmund Freud, Mary Cover Jones, Carl Rogers, B. F. Skinner, Joseph
osurgery)
Wolpe).
B. Modes of Therapy
(e.g., individual, group)
C. Community and
Preventive Approaches
14. Social Psychology (8-10%) (12 days)
APR 22-30
105, Apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution error,
A. Group Dynamics
self-serving bias).
B. Attribution Processes
106. Describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g.,
C. Interpersonal
deindividuation, group polarization).
Perception
107.
Explain how individuals respond to expectations of others, including groupthink,
D. Conformity,
conformity,
and obedience to authority.
Compliance, Obedience
E. Attitudes and Attitude
Change
F. Organizational
Behavior
G. Aggression/Antisocial
Behavior
108. Discuss attitudes and how they change (e.g., central route to persuasion).
109. Predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g.,
bystander effect, social facilitation).
110. Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members
(e.g., in-group/out-group dynamics, ethnocentrism, prejudice).
111. Articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race,
ethnicity) on self-concept and relations with others.
112. Anticipate the impact of behavior on a self-fulfilling prophecy.
113. Describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction.
114. Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and
cognitive dissonance.
115. Identify important figures in social psychology (e.g., Solomon Asch, Leon
Festinger, Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo).
MAY 1-2-3 AP EXAM REVIEW
Grading Scale:
Tests
Quizzes/Projects
Homework/Class Work
Final
45%
30%
15%
10%
AP Psych Exam –
Monday, May 6th, 2013@ 12:00pm
Students may exempt the final exam if they take the AP exam for this class. For courses that only meet during
the Fall semester, students must sign up for the AP test during the Fall semester to be able to exempt the final
exam. If a student signs up for an AP exam but does not take the test, his/her transcript will be amended to
reflect a grade of zero for the final exam in that course.
1. Students who take an AP class in the fall but wait to sign-up for the AP exam in the spring cannot go back
and exempt the class final exam.
2. If a student signs up for an AP exam but does not take the AP exam, his/her grade for the semester will be
amended so as to reflect a grade of zero for the class final examination.
Course Expectations and Your Role: This course is a college level course. You will…
…read extensively.
…keep a notebook with all materials.
…engage in class discussions.
…participate by taking notes.
…complete all assignments.
…maintain a mature attitude. Please have your parents sign the media release form.
…complete test corrections when necessary. A folder will be provided for you to keep all returned tests and quizzes.
This folder is not to be removed from class to maintain test security. However, you may complete test corrections in
our classroom. If the folder leaves class you will not have opportunities for test corrections in the future and you
will face administrative referral for cheating.
The AP Exam:
The AP Psychology Exam includes a 70-minute multiple-choice section that accounts for 2/3s of the exam grade
and a 50-minute free-response section made up of two questions that accounts for 1/3 of the exam grade. Multiplechoice scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect
answers, and no points are awarded for unanswered questions. Because points are not deducted for incorrect
answers, students are encouraged to answer all multiple-choice questions. On any questions students do not know
the answer to, students should eliminate as many choices as Free-response questions are an appropriate tool for
evaluating a student’s mastery of scientific research principles and ability to make connections among constructs
from different psychological domains (e.g., development, personality, learning). Students may be asked to analyze
a general problem in psychology (e.g., depre ssion, adaptation) using concepts from different theoretical frameworks
or subdomains in the field, or to design, analyze, or critique a research study.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-psychology-course-description.pdf
“Non-negotiables”:
1. Arrive on time or get a pass.
2. The presence of a cell phone during an ANY ASSESSMENT automatically results in a zero on that test.
3. If you are absent you are responsible for any missed notes or assignments. Check the blog, find a friend and
schedule your appointment to make up any assessment you may have missed.
4. LATE WORK (anything turned in after the initial collection) is half credit. Consider this a gift.
5. Zero Tolerance on cheating. Grade is a zero on the assignment. Parents called. Administrative referral.
Let’s be clear on what cheating is in our class…
…Looking at another student’s paper while taking an evaluation.
…Communicating information in any way during an in-class evaluation.
…Using cheat sheets, or information of any form.
…Giving test info to another student taking AP Psych
…Using copy/paste inappropriately.
Thank you for choosing AP Psych. Let’s get started!