Download AP Psychology Syllabus 2015-2016

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to AP Psychology - a Social Science, year-long course designed to introduce students to the
systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. This
course will expose students to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major
subfields within psychology. Students will also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their
everyday science and practice. A variety of activities, demonstrations, outside readings, and group & individual
projects will be provided to meet the goal of instruction in scientific and empirical approaches.
This course is designed to prepare students for the AP Psychology exam in May, which is required; failure to
take the exam will result in a grade designation change to Psychology CP. Any student receiving a grade of "C" or
lower at the end of first semester will be recommended to drop to a similar college preparatory level course. In the
following pages, you will find a course syllabus: including a grading policy, a brief description of each unit, and
academic & behavioral expectations. Please read through the materials and if you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me.
Santa Paula High School
(805)-525-4400 ext. 9424
Room #424
Sincerely,
Armando Rico
SPHS Expected School-wide Learning Results
(CARDS)
It is my hope that by the end of the course, students will improve their ability to be…
C____________ ____________ who are able to evaluate, analyze and explain multiple sources of information in
order to make informed decisions
A____________ and have pride in their work, confidence in themselves, and a desire to reach their true potential.
R____________ of everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.
D____________ and able to access resources to resolve academic and personal challenges, and become life-long,
independent learners.
S____________ - ____________ and act as outstanding individuals by contributing to the self, family, school, and
the community as positive, productive members of society.
Our signatures below indicate that we have read and understood the materials and policies related
to this course. We also understand that Mr. Rico is expected and required to uphold all school policies:
including attendance, dress code, academic dishonesty, cell phones, and the use of other electronic
devices etc. By signing below, I also agree that as the Parent/Guardian of ________________________, I
will be supportive of my student by understanding course requirements, remaining aware of homework
assignments, and supporting all school policies.
Please sign below and return on the second day of class.
We have read and understand the materials and policies related to this class.
________________________
Student (Print)
________________________
Student Signature
________________________
Date
________________________
Parent/Guardian (Print)
________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
________________________
Daytime Number/Email
AP PSYCHOLOGY - COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Description:
AP Psychology is a year-long course designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of
the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. This course will expose students to the
psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology.
Students will also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their everyday science and practice. A
variety of activities, demonstrations, outside readings, and group & individual projects will be provided to meet the
goal of instruction in scientific and empirical approaches.
This course is designed to prepare students for the AP Psychology exam in May, which is required; failure to
take the exam will result in a grade designation change to Psychology CP. Any student receiving a grade of "C" or
lower at the end of first semester will be recommended to drop to a similar college preparatory level course.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will prepare to do acceptable work on the AP Psychology Exam.
2. Students will study the major core concepts and theories of psychology. They will be able to define key
terms and use them in their everyday vocabulary.
3. Students will learn the basic skills of psychological research and be able to apply psychological concepts to
their own lives.
4. Students will develop critical thinking skills.
5. Students will build their reading, writing, and discussion skills.
Course Textbooks:
Weiten, Wayne. (2013). Psychology: Themes and Variations, 9th Edition. Stamford, CT: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Hock, Roger R. (2012). Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations Into the History of Psychological Research, 7th
Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Grades:
A = 100-90%
B = 89-80%
C = 79-70%
F = 69-00%
Your final grade will be weighted as follows:
Homework/Classwork:
25%
Quizzes/Tests:
40%
Projects/Presentations:
20%
Participation:
10%
Attendance:
05%
Homework/Classwork: 25%
Homework and class work assignments will regularly be assigned in this class and vary in point value. Binder
and agenda checks also fall into this category and will be checked periodically. Expect to have some homework just
about every night; however, understand that not all assignments will be due the following day.
Quizzes/Tests: 40%
There will be both quizzes and tests in the class. Quizzes will be based on sections/chapters in the textbook,
whereas tests will include all of the sections/chapters included in each of the course units (and will consist of 35
multiple choice questions and one free-response to simulate the AP Exam). Unit tests and quizzes can only be made
up with an excused absence, or if prior arrangements have been made. Unit tests and quizzes MUST be taken the
day you return (no exceptions) and can be made up before or after school, or during lunch by arrangement only. It
is your responsibility to make prior arrangements, so please plan accordingly.
Projects/Presentations: 20%
Projects are designed to extend your learning of topics we are discussing in class. They may be individual or
in groups. At times, you may be given some time in class to work on these, but most of the projects will need to be
completed outside of class. Because these assignments can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to
complete, it is expected that the end result will be polished & professional, and ready for publication and/or
performance.
Participation: 10%
This grade will be based on coming to class prepared (with a pen, pencil, highlighter, homework, binder, and
agenda), arriving on time, working quietly as soon as the bell rings, offering relevant information or questions
during class discussions, and completing all appropriate tasks. Repeated failure to participate in class will have an
adverse effect on your grade; however, if you do these things on a regular daily basis, it will be easy for you to earn
an A for this portion of your grade.
Attendance: 05%
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed. You can do this by contacting
another student in the course or looking in the Absent Binder at the front of the class the day you return. You will
receive 5 points every day just for showing up. If you are tardy however, you automatically lose 3 of those points an incentive to be here ON TIME!
Extra Credit: 05%
Extra credit assignments will be assigned randomly throughout the semester and count for up to an
additional 05% added onto your grade. In order to earn the entire 05% however, you must complete ALL extra
credit assignments. Any assignment you do not do will simply give you a smaller percentage of the 05%. Take
advantage of these opportunities as they arise! Assignments may include watching a televised presidential speech or
debate, participating in a local event, or reading and taking an AR test on any book relevant to the course (books are
subject to approval).
Course Outline:
AP Psychology will be broken into ten units. Expect a test at the conclusion of each unit.
Unit 01 - Approaches & Research Methods/Chapters 1 & 2 (10-14%):
• History & Approaches (02-04%)
• Research Methods (08-10%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will recognize how philosophical and physiological perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.
2. Compare and contrast different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior (e.g., early, emergent, and contemporary
approaches).
3. Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
4. Distinguish the different domains of psychology (e.g., biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational,
experimental, human factors, industrial-organizational, personality, psychometric, and social).
5. Identify major historical figures in the history of psychology.
6. Students will differentiate between types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey research, naturalistic
observations, and case studies) with regard to purpose, strengths, and weaknesses.
7. Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in experimental designs.
8. Distinguish between the random assignment of participants and the random selection of participants in experiments,
correlational studies, and surveys.
9. Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research design (e.g., confounding variables).
10. Distinguish between the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
11. Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts (e.g., measures of central tendency and standard deviation).
12. Analyze how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
Unit 02 - Biological Bases of Behavior/Chapter 3 (08-10%):
• Biological Basis of Behavior (08-10%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will identify basic processes and systems in the biological bases of behavior (e.g., parts of the neuron and
transmission of signals between neurons).
2. Examine the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake mechanisms, agonists, and antagonists).
3. Discuss the effect of the endocrine system on behavior.
4. Describe the nervous system and its major subdivisions and functions (including brain structures).
5. Examine the role of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injuries.
6. Analyze research strategies and technologies that support brain research (e.g., case studies, split-brain research, and imaging
techniques).
7. Predict how traits and behavior can be selected for their adaptive value.
Unit 03 - Sensation, Perception, & Consciousness/Chapters 4 & 5 (08-12%):
• Sensation & Perception (06-08%)
• States of Consciousness (02-04%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will discuss the basic principles of sensory transduction (including absolute threshold and difference threshold).
2. Describe sensory processes (e.g., hearing, vision, touch, taste, smell, vestibular, kinesthesis, and pain) and the pathways in the
brain for each of these senses.
3. Explain common sensory disorders (e.g., visual and hearing impairments).
4. Describe the general principles of organizing and integrating sensation (e.g., Gestalt principles and depth perception).
5. Discuss how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes (e.g., perceptual set and context effects).
6. Explain the role of top-down processing in producing vulnerability to illusion.
7. Students will describe the various states of consciousness and their impact on behavior.
8. Discuss the stages and theories of sleep and dreaming, and the treatment of sleep disorders.
9. Describe historic and contemporary uses of hypnosis (e.g., pain control and psychotherapy).
10. Explain hypnotic phenomena (e.g., suggestibility and dissociation).
11. Identify major psychoactive drug categories (e.g., depressants and stimulants) and classify specific drugs, including their
psychological and physiological effects.
12. Examine drug dependence, addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal.
Unit 04 - Learning/Chapter 6 (07-09%):
• Learning (07-09%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will distinguish general differences between principles of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and
observational learning (e.g., contingencies).
2. Describe basic classical conditioning phenomena (e.g., acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization,
discrimination, and higher-order learning).
3. Predict the effects of operant conditioning (e.g., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment).
4. Examine the relationship between biological constraints and learning predispositions.
5. Describe the essential characteristics of insight learning, latent learning, and social learning.
6. Apply learning principles to explain emotional learning, taste aversion, superstitious behavior, and learned helplessness.
7. Discuss how behavior modification, biofeedback, coping strategies, and self-control can be used to address behavioral
problems.
Unit 05 - Cognition/Chapters 7 & 8 (08-10%):
• Cognition (08-10%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will compare and contrast various cognitive processes (including effortful vs. automatic processing, deep vs. shallow
processing, and focused vs. divided attention).
2. Describe and differentiate psychological and physiological systems of memory (e.g., short-term memory, and procedural
memory).
3. Outline the principles that underlie effective encoding, storage, and construction of memories.
4. Describe strategies for memory improvement.
5. Synthesize how biological, cognitive, and cultural factors converge to facilitate acquisition, development, and use of language.
6. Identify problem-solving strategies as well as the factors that influence their effectiveness (e.g., fixation, confirmation bias,
heuristics, and framing).
Unit 06 - Motivation & Emotion/Chapters 10 & 14 (06-08%):
• Motivation & Emotion (06-08%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will apply basic motivational concepts to understand the behavior of humans and other animals (e.g., instincts,
incentives, and intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation).
2. Discuss the biological underpinnings of motivation (including needs, drives, and homeostasis).
3. Compare and contrast motivational theories (e.g., drive reduction theory, arousal theory, and general adaptation theory),
including the strengths and weaknesses of each.
4. Describe classic research findings in specific motivation systems (e.g., eating, sex, and social)
5. Discuss theories of stress and the effects of stress on psychological and physical well-being.
6. Compare and contrast the major theories of emotion (e.g., James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter two-factor theory).
7. Describe how cultural influences shape emotional expression, including variations in body language.
Unit 07 - Developmental Psychology/Chapter 11 (07-09%):
• Developmental Psychology (07-09%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will discuss the interaction between nature and nurture in the determination of behavior.
2. Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful fetal development (e.g., nutrition,
illness, and substance abuse).
3. Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate socialization.
4. Examine the maturation of cognitive abilities (e.g., Piaget’s stages and information processing).
5. Compare and contrast models of moral development (e.g., Kohlberg and Gilligan).
6. Explain how parenting styles influence development.
7. Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.
8. Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.
Unit 08 - Personality & Individual Differences/Chapters 12 & 9 (10-14%):
• Personality (05-07%)
• Testing & Individual Differences (05-07%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will compare and contrast the major theories and approaches to explain personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, humanist,
cognitive, trait, social cognition, and behavioral).
2. Compare and contrast research methods (e.g., case studies and surveys) that psychologists use to investigate personality.
3. Speculate how cultural context can facilitate or constrain personality development, especially as it relates to self-concept (e.g.,
collectivistic versus individualistic cultures).
4. Students will define intelligence and examine how psychologists measure intelligence (e.g., abstract versus verbal measures
and speed of processing).
5. Discuss how culture influences the definition of intelligence.
6. Compare and contrast historic and contemporary theories of intelligence (e.g., Charles Spearman, Howard Gardner, and
Robert Sternberg).
7. Explain how psychologists design tests (e.g., standardization strategies) to establish reliability and validity.
8. Interpret the meaning of scores in terms of the normal curve.
9. Describe relevant labels related to intelligence testing (e.g., gifted and cognitively disabled).
10. Debate appropriate testing practices, particularly in relation to culture-fair test uses.
Unit 09 - Abnormal Behavior & Treatments/Chapters 15 & 16 (12-16%):
• Abnormal Behavior (07-09%)
• Treatment of Abnormal Behavior (05-07%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will describe contemporary and historical conceptions of what constitutes psychological disorders.
2. Recognize the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as the primary reference for making
diagnostic judgments.
3. Examine major diagnostic categories and symptoms (including anxiety and somatoform disorders, mood disorders,
schizophrenia, organic disturbance, personality disorders, and dissociative disorders).
4. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of various approaches to explaining psychological disorders (e.g., medical model,
psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, biological, and sociocultural).
5. Identify the positive and negative consequences of diagnostic labels (e.g., the Rosenhan study).
6. Discuss the intersection between psychology and the legal system (e.g., confidentiality and insanity defense).
7. Students will describe the central characteristics of psychotherapeutic intervention.
8. Describe major treatment orientations used in therapy (e.g., behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic) and how those orientations
influence therapeutic planning.
9. Compare and contrast different treatment formats (e.g., individual and group).
10. Discuss how cultural and ethnic context influence choice and success of treatment (e.g., factors that lead to premature
termination of treatment).
11. Describe prevention strategies that build resilience and promote competence.
Unit 10 - Social Psychology/Chapter 13 (08-10%):
• Social Psychology (08-10%)
•
Unit Objectives:
1. Students will apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias).
2. Describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g., de-individuation and group polarization).
3. Explain how individuals respond to expectations of others (including groupthink, conformity, and obedience to authority).
4. Predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g., bystander effect and social facilitation).
5. Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members (e.g., in-group/out-group dynamics,
ethnocentrism, and prejudice).
6. Articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race, and ethnicity) on self-concept and relations with
others.
7. Describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction.
8. Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance.
Academic & Behavioral Expectations:
Please arrive to class on time and be fully prepared with a pen, pencil, highlighter, binder, agenda, any
assignments due that day, and begin working quietly as soon as the bell rings. Failure to do so will affect your
participation grade.
In general, all assignments must be submitted on their due dates. Late work will NOT be accepted (with the
exception of excused absences and those who have made prior arrangements). If absent, you have the number of
days you were absent to complete the make-up work as long as the absence is excused (assignments & projects for
which you were aware of prior to the absence are due immediately upon return). Remember, the longer your
absence, the farther behind you will get.
All written assignments, unless otherwise notified, must adhere to the following format requirements (there
are multiple resource centers around the school, and at the public library, for you to use should you need to):
Double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11” paper, stapled in the upper-left hand corner
12 point Garamond, Times, or Times New Roman font
One inch margins on all four sides
Normal kerning and spacing
Please use the APA format for all citations, quotations, and bibliographic material. In addition to online
APA guides, I recommend that you consult any of several printed APA guides available in the library.
Every piece of hand-written work will be on non-spiral, 8.5 x 11” paper, have your name, date & period in
the top upper-right corner, and will be neat and legible.
There will be no tolerance for plagiarism or any other academic dishonesty. The school’s policy on academic
dishonesty is as follows: 1st offense you will receive a zero on the assignment & a referral to the Assistant Principal’s
office, 2nd offense you will receive an F in the class for the grading period (this applies both to the person who is
caught cheating as well as the person they are cheating off of). No exceptions.
Please be respectful of fellow students and raise your hand when you want to participate. If you need to go
to the restroom, just ask. I want to treat you as adults, but please do not abuse the privilege. It WILL be taken away.
No foods or drinks (this includes gum) are allowed in the classroom (water is the only exception).
Absolutely NO cell phones or iPods will be out or heard in class. As per school policy, if it rings or is seen,
it will be confiscated and turned into the AP’s office. Unless you would like to lose your phone/iPod for the week
(or longer), turn it off and put it away! They are disruptions to the learning environment.
Respect is taken very seriously at Santa Paula High School. Anyone who violates the school’s climate of
respect by swearing, name-calling, insulting, or making derogatory or discriminatory comments (whether to another
person in the class or in general), will be dealt with swiftly. I shouldn’t have to address this issue, and expect that
none of you should have any problems with this expectation.
Most importantly, come to class with a positive attitude! It is amazing what you can do when you set your
mind to it. You are all more than capable of doing well in this class. If you ever have any questions about
assignments or grades, please do not hesitate to talk to me. I am available before & after school and during lunch &
break, almost any day of the week. Here’s to a great course!
Mr. Rico
(805)-525-4400 ext. 9424
Room #424