Download 2014-2015 AP Psychology Syllabus File

Lee Sterling III, M.Ed.
ABD for Ph.D. in Educational Psychology – University of Houston
GPISD email - [email protected]
RM 425 -- School Phone: 832-386-4100 xt 4185
Tutorials – Mondays and Tuesdays 2:45-4:00
and some Saturdays 8am-2:30 pm.
Moodle Login code: psyche or Psyche – try both
Remind (text message reminder system for students and parents)
AP Psychology class code - @533fc
AP Psychology Syllabus
AP Psychology is scheduled as one year long (2 semester) course. Each class meets for 45 minutes each
week day. Not everyone who takes AP Psychology is recommended to take the AP Test. For those
students qualifying to take the AP exam, after school AP preparatory courses may be required.
Course Objectives
Students of Psychology develop their knowledge of the objectives of psychology while also understanding
that there are seven themes that are related to Psychology as a field of study:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Psychology is empirical.
Psychology is theoretically diverse.
Psychology evolves in a socio-historical context.
Behavior is determined by multiple causes.
Behavior is shaped by cultural heritage.
Heredity and environment jointly influence behavior.
People’s experience of the world is highly subjective.
This course provides instruction in empirically supported psychological facts, research findings, terminology,
associated phenomena, major figures, perspectives, and psychological experiments.
Resources for Teaching AP Psychology
1. Text: David G. Meyers, Psychology (Ninth Edition, 2010), with instructor’s resource manual, study
guide, and test bank.
2. Various psychology articles drawn from journals, periodicals, newspapers, and online.
3. 2000-2014 AP Psychology Released Exams Free-Response Questions.
4. AP Psychology Exam Prep Workbooks (various)
5. Supplemental Reading: Roger R. Hock, Forty Studies that Changed Psychology (7th Edition,
2012)
Grading Policy
Quizzes, Daily and Homework assignments
30%
Major projects and unit exams
70%
At the end of each semester the average of the three 6 week grading periods will equal 84%, and the
semester final exam will weigh 16% of the semester grade.
Late work will be handled according to district AP policy.
Course Outline
Beginning of 1st Six Weeks
I. History and Approaches - Prologue (1 Week)
Historical Schools: Functionalism vs. Structuralism
Modern Approaches: Behaviorist, Psycho-dynamic, Cognitive, Humanistic, Evolutionary,
Neuroscience
II. Research Methodology - Chapter 1 (1 Week)
Nature of Scientific Inquiry: Sources of bias and error
Research Methods: Introspection, observation, survey, psychological testing, controlled
experiments
Statistics: Central tendency, variance, significance, correlation
Ethics in Research: Human participants, animal subjects
III. Biological Bases for Behavior: Neuroscience Chapter 2 (2 Weeks)
Neuron: Neuronal and synaptic transmission, psychopharmacology, drug abuse
Brain: Research methodology, neuron-anatomy, brain development and
hemispheric specialization
Nervous System: Structural and functional organization
Endocrine System: Anatomy, HPA-axis, and immune system
Genetics and Heritability
aging,
END OF FIRST SIX WEEKS
Beginning of 2st Six Weeks
IV. States of Consciousnes Chapter 3 (1 Week)
States of Consciousness: Waking, sleep and dreaming, hypnosis, altered states
V. Developmental Psychology – Chapters 4 and 5 (2 Weeks)
Physical development of infants and children from conception to puberty.
Emotional, personality and cognitive development of infants and children
Influential Theories: Erikson and personality, Piaget and cognitive development, Freud and
psycho-social development, Kohlberg and moral development, Gilligan and gender
differentiation
Methodology: Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies
Nature vs. Nurture (maturation versus learning)
VI. Sensation and Perception - Chapter 6 (2 Weeks)
Psychophysics: Thresholds (absolute, difference, Weber’s constants), signal detection
theory
Sensory Organs and Transduction: Visual (including color vision and feature detection),
auditory, olfactory, gustatory, touch (including kinesthetic and vestibular)
Perception: Attention, processing, illusions (including Gestalt psychology), and
camouflage
END OF SECOND SIX WEEKS
Beginning of 3rd Six Weeks
VII. Learning Chapter 7 (2 Weeks)
Classical Conditioning: Pavlov’s demonstration, terminology, procedures,
and basic processes
Operant Conditioning: Skinner’s demonstration, terminology, procedures,
basic processes, reinforcement and punishment.
Observational learning: processes
VIII. Memory, Cognition, and Language and Thought - Chapters 8 and 9 (3 Weeks)
Memory: Information processing, storage, retrieval, multiple memory systems
Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curves
Cognition: Problem solving and heuristics; types of problems and problem solving
approaches; influence of culture and cognitive style
Language: Skinner and Chomsky: structure, acquisition, development; use of language
in culture
END OF THIRD SIX WEEKS
END OF FIRST SEMESTER
Beginning of 4th Six Weeks
IX. Intelligence and Psychological Testing Chapter 10 (1 Week)
Psychological Testing: Methodology, norms, reliability, validity
Intelligence: Defining intelligence, history of intelligence and aptitude testing, naturenurture issues
X. Motivation and Emotions Chapters 11 & 12 (3 Weeks)
Motivational Concepts: primary and secondary, intrinsic and extrinsic, instincts, drives,
optimal arousal, Maslow’s hierarchy
Hunger and Eating Disorders
Sexuality and Sexual Orientation
Achievement Motivation: McClelland and the TAT, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivators
Physiology of Emotion: Fear, anger, happiness
Expression of Emotion: Darwin and Ekman
Theories of Emotion: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter-Singer
Stress: Stress as a Concept: Selye
Types of stress; responses to stress; psychological and physiological effects; coping
strategies
XI. Personality – Chapter 13 (2 Weeks)
Psychodynamic Perspective: Freud, Jung, Adler
Trait Perspective: factor analysis and the five-factor model, assessment (Myers-Briggs,
MMPI)
Humanistic Perspective: Maslow and Rogers
Social-Cognitive Perspective: Bandura and Seligman
XII. Abnormal Psychology Chapter 14 (1 Week)
Approaches to Abnormality: The Rosenhan study, historical approaches (deviance), the
medical model, the biopsychosocial model
Classifying Disorders: Evolution of the DSM-IV-TR
Major Categories of Disorders: Anxiety disorders, disassociative disorders, mood disorders,
schizophrenia, personality disorders
END OF 4TH SIX WEEKS
Beginning of 5th Six Weeks
XII. Treatment of Psychological Disorders Chapter 15 (1 Week)
Major Approaches to Psychotherapy: psychoanalysis, behavioristic, humanistic, cognitive,
group, pharmacological
Alternative sources of prevention and intervention for individuals in communities
XIII. Social Psychology Chapter 16 (2 Weeks)
Attitudes and Behavior: Fundamental attribution error, roles, Festinger and cognitive
dissonance
Group Influence: Asch and conformity, Milgram and obedience, facilitation and loafing,
Janis and groupthink
Prejudice, Scapegoating, Altruism: Darley and Latané
The AP Psychology Class splits into two groups
Option for AP students not taking the exam
XIV. Begin Psychological Experiment (5 weeks)
Students will collaborate in the creation and execution of a
psychological experiment. This is a capstone, end of course project.
Option for AP students who have earned the right to take the AP Psychology Exam
XIV. AP REVIEW (5 weeks) all chapters
In depth review for AP test-takers
END OF 6TH SIX WEEKS
Assessment Practices - Traditional Assessments
Unit Tests – Major Grade
These tests are modeled on the AP Exam, with 30-75 multiple-choice questions to be completed in
45 minutes.
Quizzes – Daily Grade
Multiple-choice - to check for homework and reading comprehension.
Participation – Daily Grade
Some classroom activities require active participation from the student.
Note Card Checks – Daily Grade
Students will be required to make conceptual and academic vocabulary related flash cards as we
move through the different units of study. The daily grade comes from a weekly check of the
quantity and quality of the completed flash cards.
Optional Projects and Essays – Major Grade
These projects and essays are generally offered at the beginning of the six weeks. The projects
and essays serve as extra credit and make-up opportunity, with the caveat that every student has
an opportunity to turn in an optional project. These projects do not replace a bad grade, but
instead are entered as an additional Major grade in the gradebook. Generally, there is an essay
option and a project option offered each six weeks.
Projects – Application of knowledge
At least one project per grading period:
1. Summer Assignment or 1st Six Weeks Reading Assignment – Students will select and read a
book exploring an area of interest within the field of psychology. Students must keep a reflective
learning log detailing their questions and comments about what they are reading.
2. Students will build a 3-D brain identifying the four frontal lobes and 14 structures of the brain.
Besides locating the structures on the 3D brain, the students will also need to be able to recite from
memory the structures’ function.
3. Students will design a research project using the experimental method.
4. Students will create a self behavior modification project. They utilize operant and classical
conditioning methods in creating behavior changes.
5. Students will record their dreams in a dream diary. They will then use psychodynamic
techniques to analyze their dreams.
6. Students will write a seven-page literature review over a psychological question of their own
creation.
7. Students will participate in a social psychology experiment.
Supplies Needed
- At least three hundred (300) 4x6 Index Cards (3x5 and 5x8 are okay, but 4x6
seems to work the best)
-Three bound Journal booklets (ask me, I have examples)
- One to two inch binder with loose leaf paper
- An eight MB or larger jump/flash drive can be very useful (not required)
- Markers, highlighters and color pencils are also helpful, but not required
- A willing and able mind