Download AP PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MS

AP PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MS. ZANDER
 Room: 107
 E-mail: [email protected]
 Class website: http://teachers.alaschools.org/hzander/
Welcome to AP Psychology! This course syllabus will provide you with an overview of our classroom policies and
expectations.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to introduce you to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of
human beings and other animals. You will be exposed to the psychological facts, principles and phenomenal associated with
each of the major subfields within psychology. You will also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their
science and practice. You are expected to complete the AP Psychology Exam on May 2nd.
COURSE MATERIALS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Three-ring binder (see section below for instructions)
Notebook or loose-leaf paper
A pen or pencil (see above)
Textbook: Myers, David G. Myers’ Psychology for AP. 2nd ed. New York: Worth, 2014.
GRADING AND ASSESSMENTS:
Your grade will be made up of points earned from daily work, projects and the following assessments. Because this is an
advanced class, you are expected to keep up with the course requirements. You can turn in late work only until the end of
the unit and it will be scored at half credit.
Unit Tests:
Unit tests are designed to prepare you for the AP test. Each test will have a series of multiple choice questions and one essay
to be completed within the class period.
Practice FRQs:
You will be assigned practice free-response questions (to be done in class) at various times throughout the year. Your
answers must follow the same format you are to use when answering the free-response questions on the AP Exam.
NOTECARDS:
A large portion of psychology is learning various terms and concepts. One way to help learn the items is to create vocabulary
flashcards on 3x5 index cards. On one side write the term, name, or concept, on the other write the definition or explanation,
an example, and the page number from the text. The flashcards will help you in the following ways:
 Making the cards helps you learn the vocabulary.
 You can easily separate the terms you know from those you need to work on. This makes for efficient studying.
 You can look at the terms and practice the definitions, or you can look at the definitions and practice the terms.
 The cards provide an excellent review which will be very useful for unit tests, cumulative tests, and the AP Exam in
May.
GRADING SCALE:
Overall Grades will be assigned based on the following percentages:
A: 90%-100%
B: 80%-89%
C: 70%-79%
D: 60%-69%
F: 59% or below
READING:
You are expected to read the textbook and are responsible for all of its information – even if we do not discuss it in class.
Some helpful tips for reading:
1. Keep up with the reading assignments! Set a schedule for yourself and be disciplined enough to stick to it. Be
prepared to discuss the assigned reading in class and/or take a quiz on the material (Quizzes will be given on the
Edmodo website).
2.
Learn to read more effectively:
a.
Read actively. Don’t just look at the words. If you spend a half hour “reading” but are unable to recall
anything when you are done, you have wasted your time. Reading a college level text requires a great deal
more effort and concentration than reading a novel.
b.
Don’t try to read the entire chapter at once. Each chapter of your text is divided into several major
sections. Limit your reading to one of these sections at a sitting. Use the homework schedule as a guide.
c.
Do not ignore pictures, captions, diagrams, tables, sidebars, etc. These features were added to your text for
a reason. They make the text more interesting and usually provide important information.
d.
Preview the chapter before you start reading. Read the chapter summary when you finish.
e.
Take notes as you read. If you can condense a 30-page chapter to a few pages of good notes, it is going to
be much easier to review.
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:
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If you have internet access, there are various sites which are designed to help students who are learning psychology.
Some sites include explanations of concepts and even practice tests you may take.
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In your reading, studying for tests, taking notes, etc. always remember you will be tested on the material not only in
the test at the end of that particular unit, but also any cumulative tests and the AP Exam in May. At the end of each
unit, look over the material and organize it for later review.
MEDIA AND FILM USE:
 Film clips will be used periodically through the course of the year to help demonstrate various psychology concepts
and vocabulary. It is rare that these clips will extend beyond 3 to 4 minutes a piece.
 In the last quarter (after the AP Exam on May 2nd) Students will be analyzing the application of psychology concepts
in popular culture through the film Inside Out. This film is rated PG and we will look at how we can tie in each unit
that we covered in the beginning of the year.
COURSE PLANNER
UNIT 1: PSYCHOLOGY’S HISTORY AND APPROACHES
TIME FRAME: 6 days, August 10 – 17
OBJECTIVES:
 Recognize how philosophical and physiological perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.
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Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
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Early years: structuralism, functionalism and behavioralism
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Emerging later: Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism
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Contemporary: evolutionary, biological, cognitive and biopsychosocial
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Define psychology and trace its historical development.
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Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
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Differentiate among the different domains of psychology (e.g., biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling,
developmental, educational, experimental, human factors, industrial-organizational, personality, psychometric,
social)
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Identify major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins, Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund
Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn,
John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt)
TERMS TO KNOW:
 behavioral perspective
 humanistic perspective
 psychoanalytic/psychodynamic perspective
 cognitive perspective
 biological perspective
 evolutionary perspective
 empiricism
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structuralism
functionalism
nature vs. nurture
counseling psychology
clinical psychology
psychiatry
UNIT 2: COGNITION: MEMORY, THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, CREATIVITY, AND LANGUAGE
TIME FRAME: 14 days, August 18 – September 4
OBJECTIVES:
 Compare and contrast various cognitive processes:
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effortful vs. automatic processing
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deep vs. shallow processing
o
focused vs. divided attention
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Describe and differentiate psychological and physiological systems of memory (e.g., short-term memory, procedural
memory).
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Outline the principles that underlie effective encoding, storage and construction of memories.
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Describe strategies for memory improvement.
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Synthesize how biological, cognitive and cultural factors converge to facilitate acquisition, development and use of
language.
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Identify problem-solving strategies as well as factors that influence their effectiveness.
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List the characteristics of creative thought and creative thinkers.
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Identify key contributors in cognitive psychology (e.g., Noam Chomsky, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Wolfgang Kohler,
Elizabeth Loftus, George A. Miller).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 recall
 recognition
 episodic memory
 retrograde amnesia
 anterograde amnesia
 method of loci
 encoding
 storage
 retrieval
 sensory memory
 short-term memory
 long-term memory
 working memory
 parallel processing
 automatic processing
 effortful processing
 rehearsal
 spacing effect
 serial position effect
 visual encoding
 acoustic encoding
 semantic encoding
 imagery
 mnemonics
 chunking
 iconic memory
 echoic memory
 long-term potentiation
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flashbulb memory
amnesia
implicit memory
explicit memory
priming
déjà vu
mood-congruent memory
proactive interference
retroactive interference
repression
misinformation effect
source amnesia
prototype
algorithm
heuristic
confirmation bias
fixation
mental set
functional fixedness
heuristic
representative heuristic
availability heuristic
overconfidence
belief perseverance
framing
phonemes
morphemes
divergent thinking
UNIT 3: RESEARCH METHODS: THINKING CRITICALLY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
TIME FRAME: 14 days, September 8 - 25
OBJECTIVES:
 Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey research, naturalistic observations,
case studies) with regard to purpose, strengths and weaknesses.
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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).
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Identify independent, dependent, confounding and control variables in experimental designs.
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Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in experiments and random selection of
participants, primarily in correlational studies and surveys.
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Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research design (e.g., confounding variables
limit confidence in research conclusions).
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Distinguish the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
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Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and constructing graphs and calculating simple
descriptive statistics (e.g., measures of central tendency, standard deviation).
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Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in behavioral research.
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Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
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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.
TERMS TO KNOW:
 experimental method
 independent variable
 dependent variable
 experimental group
 control group
 random assignment
 confounding variable
 double-blind study
 case study
 survey
 population
 random sample
 correlation research
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illusory correlation
correlation coefficient
mean
median
mode
range
standard deviation
statistical significance
normal distribution
positively skewed distribution
negatively skewed distribution
p-value
hindsight bias
UNIT 4: STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
TIME FRAME: 4 days (Plus 6 days of Fall Break), September 28- October 1
OBJECTIVES:
 Describe various states of consciousness and their impact on behavior.
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Discuss aspects of sleep and dreaming, including
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stages and characteristics of the sleep cycle,
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theories of sleep and dreaming and
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symptoms and treatments of sleep disorders.
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Describe historic and contemporary uses of hypnosis (e.g., pain control, psychotherapy).
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Explain hypnotic phenomena (e.g., suggestibility, dissociation).
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Identify the major psychoactive drug categories (e.g., depressants, stimulants) and classify specific drugs, including
their psychological and physiological effects.
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Discuss drug dependence, addiction, tolerance and withdrawal.
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Identify the major figures in consciousness research (e.g., William James, Sigmund Freud, Ernest Hilgard).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 consciousness
 circadian rhythm
 REM sleep
 alpha waves
 hallucinations
 delta waves
 NREM sleep
 insomnia
 narcolepsy
 sleep apnea
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night terrors
manifest content
latent content
REM rebound
hypnosis
posthypnotic suggestion
dissociation
psychoactive drug
tolerance
withdrawal
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physical dependence
psychological dependence
addiction
depressants
barbiturates
opiates
stimulants
near-death experience
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amphetamines
methamphetamine
Ecstasy
hallucinogens
LSD
THC
UNIT 5: BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR: NEURAL PROCESSING, THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM, THE BRAIN,
GENTICS, EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
TIME FRAME: 14 days, October 12- 29
OBJECTIVES:
 Identify basic processes and systems in the biological bases of behavior, including parts of the neuron and the
process of transmission of a signal between neurons.
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Discuss the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake mechanisms, agonists, antagonists).
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Discuss the effect of the endocrine system on behavior.
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Describe the nervous system and its subdivisions and functions:
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central and peripheral nervous systems
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major brain regions, lobes and cortical areas
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brain lateralization and hemispheric specialization
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Discuss the role of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injury.
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Recount historic and contemporary research strategies and technologies that support research (e.g., case studies,
split-brain research, imaging techniques).
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Discuss psychology’s abiding interest in how heredity, environment and evolution work together to shape behavior.
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Predict how traits and behavior can be selected for their adaptive value.
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Identify key contributors (e.g., Paul Broca, Charles Darwin, Michael Gazzaniga, Roger Sperry, Carl Wernicke).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 biological psychology
 neuron
 dendrite
 axon
 myelin sheath
 action potential
 all-or-nothing law
 threshold
 synapse
 neurotransmitters
 reuptake
 endorphins
 nervous system
 central nervous system
 peripheral nervous system
 somatic nervous system
 autonomic nervous system
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sympathetic nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
endocrine system
adrenal glands
pituitary glands
brainstem
medulla
reticular formation
thalamus
cerebellum
limbic system
amygdala
hypothalamus
cerebral cortex
glial cells
frontal lobes
parietal lobes
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occipital lobes
motor cortex
sensory cortex
association areas
aphasia
Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area
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plasticity
corpus callosum
split brain
dual processing
cerebral hemispheres
hippocampus
UNIT 6: SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
TIME FRAME: 8 days, October 30 – November 10
OBJECTIVES:
 Discuss basic principles of sensory transduction, including absolute threshold, difference threshold, signal detection
and sensory adaptation.
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Describe sensory processes (e.g., hearing, vision, touch, taste, smell, vestibular, kinesthesis, pain), including the
specific nature of energy transduction, relevant anatomical structures and specialized pathways in the brain for each
of the sense.
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Explain common sensory disorders (e.g., visual and hearing impairments)
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Describe general principles of organizing and integrating sensation to promote stable awareness of the external
world (e.g., Gestalt principles, depth perception).
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Describe how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes (e.g., perceptual set, context effects).
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Explain the role of top-down processing in producing vulnerability to illusion.
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Discuss the role of attention in behavior.
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Challenge common beliefs in parapsychological phenomena.
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Identify the major historical figures in sensation and perception (e.g., Gustav Fechner, David Hubel, Ernst Weber,
Torsten Wiesel).
TERMS TO LEARN:
 sensation
 perception
 bottom-up processing
 top-down processing
 selective attention
 inattentional blindness
 change blindness
 psychophysics
 absolute threshold
 signal detection theory
 subliminal
 difference threshold
 Weber’s law
 blind spot
 fovea
 feature detectors
 parallel processing
 Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory
 opponent-process theory
 audition
 frequency
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sensory adaptation
transduction
wavelength
hue
intensity
pupil
iris
lens
retina
accommodation
rods
cones
optic nerve
pitch
middle ear
cochlea
inner ear
place theory
frequency theory
conduction hearing loss
sensorineural hearing loss
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cochlear implant
kinesthesis
vestibular sense
gate-control theory
sensory interaction
gestalt
figure-ground
grouping
depth perception
visual cliff
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binocular cues
retinal disparity
monocular cues
phi phenomenon
perceptual constancy
color constancy
perceptual adaptation
perceptual set
extrasensory perception
parapsychology
UNIT 7: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
TIME FRAME: 11 days, November 12 –December 1
OBJECTIVES:
 Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture (including cultural variations) in the determination of behavior.
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Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful fetal development (e.g.,
nutrition, illness, substance abuse).
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Discuss maturation of motor skills.
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Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate socialization.
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Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (e.g., Piaget’s stages, information processing).
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Compare and contrast models of moral development (e.g., Kohlberg, Gilligan).
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Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence, including related family conflicts.
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Explain how parenting styles influence development.
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Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.
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Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge as people age, including steps that can be taken to maximize
function.
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Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.
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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).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 zygote
 embryo
 fetus
 teratogens
 fetal alcohol syndrome
 habituation
 maturation
 schema
 assimilation
 accommodation
 sensorimotor stage
 object permanence
 preoperational stage
 conservation
 egocentrism
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theory of mind
concrete operational stage
formal operational stage
autism
stranger anxiety
attachment
critical period
imprinting
temperament
basic trust
self-concept
gender
aggression
X chromosome
Y chromosome
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testosterone
gender role
gender identity
social learning theory
primary sex characteristics
secondary sex characteristics
menarche
psychosocial stages
intimacy
emerging adulthood
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menopause
cross-sectional study
longitudinal study
crystallized intelligence
fluid intelligence
irreversibility
permissive style of parenting
authoritative style of parenting
authoritarian style of parenting
UNIT 8: PERSONALITY
TIME FRAME: 8 days, December 2-11
OBJECTIVES:
 Compare and contrast the major theories and approaches to explaining personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, humanist,
cognitive, trait, social cognition, behavioral).
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Describe and compare research methods (e.g., case studies and surveys) that psychologists use to investigate
personality.
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Identify frequently used assessment strategies (e.g., the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI], the
Thematic Apperception Test [TAT]) and evaluate relative test quality based on reliability and validity of the
instruments.
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Speculate how cultural context can facilitate or constrain personality development, especially as it relates to selfconcept (e.g., collectivist vs. individualistic cultures).
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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).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 personality
 free association
 psychoanalysis
 id
 ego
 superego
 psychosexual stages
 Oedipus complex
 fixation
 defense mechanisms
 repression
 regression
 reaction formation
 projection
 rationalization
 displacement
 sublimation
 denial
 collective unconscious
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projective test
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Rorschach inkblot test
terror-management theory
self-actualization
unconditional positive regard
self-concept
trait
personality inventory
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
empirically derived test
reciprocal determinism
locus of control
positive psychology
self-serving bias
individualism
collectivism
self-efficacy
five-factor model
UNIT 9: MOTIVATION AND EMOTION
TIME FRAME: 9 days, December 14-January 7
OBJECTIVES:
 Identify and apply basic motivational concepts to understand the behavior of humans and other animals (e.g.,
instincts, incentives, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation).
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Discuss the biological underpinnings of motivation, including needs, drives, and homeostasis.
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Compare and contrast motivational theories (drive reduction theory, arousal theory, general adaptation theory),
including the strengths and weaknesses of each.
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Describe classic research findings in specific motivation systems (e.g., eating, sex, social).
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Discuss theories of stress and the effects of stress on psychological and physical well-being.
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Compare and contrast major theories of emotion (e.g., James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter two-factor theory).
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Describe how cultural influences shape emotional expression, including variations in body language.
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Identify key contributors in the psychology of motivation and emotion (e.g., William James, Alfred Kinsey, Abraham
Maslow, Stanley Schachter, Hans Selye).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 instinct
 drive-reduction theory
 homeostasis
 incentive
 hierarchy of needs
 glucose
 set point
 basal metabolic rate
 anorexia nervosa
 bulimia nervosa
 binge-eating disorder
 sexual response cycle
 refractory period
 estrogens
 testosterone
 sexual orientation
 achievement motivation
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extrinsic motivation
intrinsic motivation
display rules
stress
conflict
general adaptation syndrome
James-Lange theory
Cannon-Bard theory
Schachter-Singer two-factor theory
catharsis
feel-good, do-good phenomenon
adaptation-level phenomenon
relative deprivation
Type A
Type B
Psychophysiological illness
Yerkes-Dodson Law
UNIT 10: LEARNING
TIME FRAME: 12 Days, January 8-25
OBJECTIVES:
 Distinguish general differences between principles of classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational
learning (e.g., contingencies).
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Describe basic classical conditioning phenomena, such as acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery,
generalization, discrimination and higher-order learning.
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Predict the effects of operant conditioning (e.g., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment).
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Predict how practice, schedules of reinforcement and motivation will influence quality of learning.
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Interpret graphs that exhibit the results of learning experiments.
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Provide examples of how biological constraints create learning predispositions.
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Describe the essential characteristics of insight learning, latent learning and social learning.
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Apply learning principles to explain emotional learning, taste aversion, superstitious behavior and learned
helplessness.
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Suggest how behavior modification, biofeedback, coping strategies and self control can be used to address
behavioral problems.
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Identify key contributors in psychology of learning (e.g., Albert Bandura, John Garcia, Ivan Pavlov, Robert Rescorla,
B.F.Skinner, Edward Thorndike, Edward Tolman, John B. Watson).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 learning
 habituation
 associative learning
 classical conditioning
 behaviorism
 unconditioned response
 unconditioned stimulus
 conditioned response
 conditioned stimulus
 neutral stimulus
 acquisition
 higher-order conditioning
 extinction
 spontaneous recovery
 generalization
 discrimination
 learned helplessness
 respondent behavior
 operant conditioning
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operant behavior
law of effect
operant chamber
shaping
discriminative stimulus
reinforcement
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
premack principle
continuous reinforcement
intermittent reinforcement
fixed-ratio schedule
variable-ratio schedule
fixed-interval schedule
variable-interval schedule
punishment
positive punishment
negative punishment
observational learning
UNIT 11: ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
TIME FRAME: 11 days, January 26 – February 9
OBJECTIVES:
 Describe contemporary and historical conceptions of what constitutes psychological disorders.
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Recognize the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American
Psychiatric Association as the primary reference for making diagnostic judgments.
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Discuss the major diagnostic categories, including anxiety and somatoform disorders, mood disorders,
schizophrenia, organic disturbance, personality disorders and dissociative disorders, and their corresponding
symptoms.
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Evaluate the strengths and limitations of various approaches to explaining psychological disorders: medical model,
psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, biological and sociocultural.
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Identify the positive and negative consequences of diagnostic labels (the Rosenhan study).
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Discuss the intersection between psychology and the legal system (e.g., confidentiality, insanity defense).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
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medical model
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DSM-IV-TR
anxiety disorders
generalized anxiety disorders
panic disorder
phobia
obsessive-compulsive disorder
post-traumatic stress disorder
post-traumatic growth
somatoform disorder
conversion disorder
hypochondriasis
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dissociative disorders
dissociative identity disorder
mood disorders
major depressive disorder
mania
bipolar disorder
schizophrenia
delusions
personality disorders
antisocial personality disorder
narcissistic personality disorder
UNIT 12: TREATMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
TIME FRAME: 8 days February 10 -22
OBJECTIVES:
 Describe the central characteristics of psychotherapeutic intervention.
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Describe major treatment orientations used in therapy (e.g., behavioral, cognitive, humanistic) and how those
orientations influence therapeutic planning.
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Compare and contrast different treatment formats (e.g., individual, group).
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Summarize effectiveness of specific treatments used to address specific problems.
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Discuss how cultural and ethnic context influence choice and success of treatment (e.g., factors that lead to
premature termination of treatment).
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Describe prevention strategies that build resilience and promote competence.

Identify major figures in psychological treatment (e.g., Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, Sigmund Freud, Mary Cover Jones,
Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner, Joseph Wolpe).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 eclectic approach
 psychotherapy
 psychoanalysis
 resistance
 interpretation
 transference
 psychodynamic therapy
 insight therapies
 humanist therapy
 client-centered therapy
 active listening
 unconditioned positive regard
 behavior therapy
 counterconditioning
 exposure therapies
 systematic desensitization
 virtual reality exposure therapy
 aversion therapy
 token economy
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cognitive therapy
cognitive-behavioral therapy
family therapy
regression toward the mean
meta-analysis
evidence-based practice
biomedical therapy
psychopharmacology
antipsychotic drugs
tardive dyskinesia
antianxiety drugs
antidepressant drugs
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
(rTMS)
psychosurgery
lobotomy
resilience
rational emotive therapy
UNIT 13: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
TIME FRAME: 13 days, February 23- March 10
OBJECTIVES:
 Apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias).
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Describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g., deindividuation, group polarization).
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Explain how individuals respond to expectations of others, including groupthink, conformity and obedience to
authority.
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Discuss attitudes and how they change (e.g., central route to persuasion).
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Predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g., bystander effect, social facilitation).
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Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members (e.g., in group/out-group dynamics,
ethnocentrism, prejudice).
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Articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity) on self-concept and relations
with others.
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Anticipate the impact of behavior on a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction.
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Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance.

Identify important figures in social psychology (e.g., Solomon Asch, Leon Festinger, Stanley Milgram, Philip
Zimbardo).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 attribution theory
 fundamental attribution error
 central route persuasion
 peripheral route persuasion
 foot-in-the-door phenomenon
 role
 cognitive dissonance theory
 conformity
 obedience
 normative social influence
 informational social influence
 social facilitation
 social inhibition
 social loafing
 deindividuation
 group polarization
 groupthink
 culture
 norm
 prejudice
 personal space
 stereotype
 discrimination
 ingroup
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outgroup
ingroup bias
scapegoat theory
other-race effect
just-world phenomenon
aggression
frustration-aggression principle
mere exposure effect
passionate love
companionate love
equity
self-disclosure
altruism
bystander effect
social exchange theory
reciprocity norm
social-responsibility norm
conflict
social trap
mirror-image perception
self-fulfilling prophecy
superodinate goals
GRIT
self-serving bias
UNIT 14: TESTING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
TIME FRAME: 8 days, March 21 - 31
OBJECTIVES:
 Define intelligence and list characteristics of how psychologists measure intelligence
o
abstract vs. verbal measures
o
speed of processing

Discuss how culture influences the definition of intelligence.

Compare and contrast historic and contemporary theories of intelligence (e.g., Charles Spearman, Howard Gardner,
Robert Sternberg).

Explain how psychologists design tests, including standardization strategies and other techniques to establish
reliability and validity.
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Interpret the meaning of scores in terms of the normal curve.

Describe relevant labels related to intelligence testing (e.g., gifted, cognitively disabled).

Debate the appropriate testing practices, particularly in relation to culture-fair test uses.

Identify key contributors in intelligence research and testing (e.g., Albert Binet, Francis Galton, Howard Gardner,
Charles Spearman, Robert Sternberg, Louis Terman, David Wechsler).
TERMS TO KNOW:
 intelligence test
 general intelligence (g)
 factor analysis
 savant syndrome
 emotional intelligence
 mental age
 Stanford-Binet
 Intelligence quotient (IQ)
 achievement test
 aptitude test
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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
standardization
normal curve
reliability
content validity
predictive validity
intellectual disability
Down’s syndrome
stereotype threat
self-fulfilling prophecy