Download AP Psychology - Chillicothe City Schools

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AP Psychology Syllabus
CHS Social Studies Department
Contact Information: Parents may contact me by phone, email, or visiting the school.
Teacher: Mr. Ty Park
Email Address: [email protected] or [email protected]
Phone Number: (740) 702-2287 ext. 16412
Online: http://www.ccsd.us/1/Home
Teacher Contact Website/Social media: Use above email addresses & phone
number to contact and/or request information.
CHS Vision Statement: Our vision is to be a caring learning center respected for its
comprehensive excellence.
CHS Mission Statement: Our mission is to prepare our students to serve their
communities and to commit to life-long learning
Course Structure:
Prerequisite: Grade of C+ or above in previous Social Studies Courses.
Elective:
Grades 11-12
Credit:
1 credit
The course will meet for 70 minutes a day every day for 18 weeks. Courses are
set up in a block schedule. The estimated classroom contact hours would be more than
one hundred.
Recognizing the importance of student engagement and ownership of the
coursework, the focus is on performance, not time. Time management is in the hands of
the student, to master the curriculum in order to perform well on the AP Exam.
Class Purpose:
To promote an appreciation of the critical analysis of psychologists through the
study of nature vs. nurture, the life span, the mind and body, learning and cognitive
processes, personality and individuality, adjustment and breakdown, as well as
communication and group skills. This, in short, is a study of mental processes and
human behavior.
The purpose is to expose students to how psychology provides tools to help us
gain insight into our own behavior, as well as our relationships with others. The value of
this AP class is in the three unifying themes that run throughout the coursework:
psychology is a science that is rapidly evolving; human behavior and
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thought are diverse, varied, and affected by culture; and the study of psychology
involves active thinking, questioning, and problem-solving.
Course Materials:
Textbooks: Morris & Maisto, 2002. Psychology: An Introduction 11/e Pearson Prentice
Hall
Understanding Psychology Copyright 2006 by Glencoe / McGraw Hill
Supplemental Resources:
Text Resource Manual, Text Study Guide, Workbooks, Topical Articles and
Readings drawn from Current Media such as books, internet, newspapers, magazines,
and scientific periodicals, Controlled Experiment, Service Learning, special projects and
any other secondary resources that the instructor may consider appropriate to meet
course objectives.
Course Objective:
To provide a comprehensive presentation that interweaves all subfields of
psychology: person–situation, heredity–environment, stability–change, diversity–
universality, and mind-body throughout the course.
To present key topics in a balanced, scientific manner that incorporates both
classic and the most recent cutting-edge research developments.
To prepare students to take the AP Psychology Exam that is held each spring.
(Students are required to pay the fee required by the College Board to take the exam.)
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding in the five domains of the National
High School Psychology Standards and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Objective and Curricular Goals:
Standards: The domain and content areas for this course will include: methods,
developmental, biopsychosocial, cognitive, and sociocultural. Topics covered in this
course will adhere to Academic Content Standards for Psychology. (Curricular
Requirements)
1.Methods:
Introduction and Research Methods (CR 1, 2, 16, 15)
Defines the science of psychology, describes its history, identifies the methods for
examining behavior and mental processes, and reviews scientific careers available in
the discipline.
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Content:
CH1 Introducing Psychology
CH2 Psychological Research Methods and Statistics
CH21 Psychology: Present and Future
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Recognize through reading how philosophical perspectives shaped the
development of psychological thought.

Describe and compare through discussion or essay the different theoretical
approaches in explaining behavior.

Analyze through research the strengths and limitations of each theory from the
early years to the contemporary approaches.

Differentiate and describe how research design drives conclusions.

Identify and distinguish between variables, sampling, research methods, and
types of statistics.

Discuss ethical issues, legal guidelines, and research practices.

Special Assignment – research the major historical figures in psychology.
Choose one to study.
2. Biopsychosocial:
Biological Bases of Behavior (CR 3)
Addresses how the brain processes information and how the body adapts to the
demands of its environment.
Content:
CH6 Body and behavior
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Identify the basic processes and systems in the biological bases of behavior.

Discuss the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters, the effect of the endocrine
system/heredity/environment on behavior.

Describe, through creative graphic organizers, the nervous system and its
subdivisions and functions.
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
Special Assignment – recount historic and contemporary research strategies and
technologies that support research.

Identify key contributors to the biological bases theory. Choose one for in depth
study.
Sensation and Perception (CR 4)
Examines how the brain makes meaning out of the physical sensations generated by
the environment.
Content:
CH8 Sensation and Perception
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Discuss basic principles and processes of sensory transduction through chart
presentation.

Explain common sensory disorders and perceptual processes in a small group
setting.

Challenge by research, the common beliefs in parapsychological phenomena.

Special Assignment – participate in the demonstration producing vulnerability to
illusion.
Motivation and Emotion (CR 8, 15)
Examines the drives and needs that direct behavior, including sex, hunger, and social
needs, as well as the range of human emotion.
Content:
CH12 Motivation and Emotion
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Identify and apply basic motivational concepts to understand behavior of humans
and other animals through examples and discussion.

Recognized the biological underpinnings of motivation.

Compare and contrast theories of emotion, note the strengths and weaknesses
of classic research findings.

Special Assignment – participate in a demonstration of incentives.
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Stress, Coping, and Health (CR 8, 15)
Identifies how stress reactions hinder our effectiveness and proposed alternatives that
lead to a healthier existence.
Content:
CH15 Stress and Health
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Report classic research findings of specific health issues.

Discuss theories of stress and the effects of stress on psychological and physical
well-being.

Special Assignment – Take stress tests. – Watch videos for full class discussion.
3. Cognitive:
Learning (CR 6, 11)
Demonstrates how we make changes in our behavior through experience with the
environment, usually focusing on classical conditioning, operant conditioning,
observational learning, and cognitive learning.
Content:
CH 9 Learning Principles and Applications
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Explore the different kinds of learning through lecture notes and reading classic
studies.

Describe classical conditioning phenomenon in a graphic organizer.

Predict the effects of operant conditioning and how schedules of reinforcement
influence learning reinterpretation of graphs that exhibit the results of
experiments.

Discuss how behavior modification, biofeedback, coping strategies, and selfcontrol can address behavioral problems.
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Special Assignment – Take Learning Inventories.

Identify key contributors in the psychology of learning. Write on one.
Memory (CR 7, 15)
Addresses how we remember as well as how we can improve our memory.
Content:
CH10 Memory and Thought
An AP student should be able to do the following:
Describe the cognitive, psychological and physiological processes of memory.
Graphically organize the principles that attention, encoding, storage and retrieval have
in the construction of memory.
Describe strategies for memory improvement
Special Assignment – Mnemonics exercises – memory skills demonstrations.
Thinking and Language (CR 7, 11)
Examines the role of language, problem-solving skills, creativity, multilingualism, and
intelligence testing as primary interests of researchers in this area.
Content:
CH11 Thinking and Language
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Apply learning principles to compare and contrast various cognitive processes.

Synthesize how biological, cognitive, and cultural factors converge to facilitate
acquisition, development, and use of language by creating a chart.

Engage in problem-solving strategies to answer a pre-designed mystery.

List the characteristics of creative thought and creative thinkers.
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Special Assignment – Using the above list, write a persuasive paper on a person
or idea.
States of Consciousness (CR 5)
Explores varying stages of awareness, including sleep, reaction to drugs, daydreaming,
and controlled conscious processes.
Content:
CH7 Altered States of Consciousness
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Describe various states of consciousness and their impact on behavior.

Discuss the sleep cycle, theories of sleep and dreaming, symptoms and
treatments of sleep disorders.

Research historic and contemporary notions of hypnosis.

Identify the major psychoactive drug categories and their effects psychologically
and physiologically.

Explain drug dependence, addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal.

Special Assignment – Videos on sleep disorders. – Debate on drug effect facts
and legalization.
4. Developmental:
Lifespan Development (CR 3, 11, 9)
Examines how nature and nurture influence our development from conception until
death.
Content:
CH3 Infancy and Childhood
CH4 Adolescence
CH5 Adulthood and Old Age
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An AP student should be able to do the following:

Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture, cultural variations, and gender in
determination of behavior from lecture notes.

Explain the process of fetal development, maturation of motor skills, and
cognitive abilities.

Compare maturational physical and cognitive challenges in childhood,
adolescence, adulthood.

Identify stages of cognitive, moral, and social development.

Special Assignment – identify the key contributors in developmental psychology.
Choose one to research and highlight their perspective about the influence of
socialization on development.
5. Sociocultural:
Individual Differences, Personality and Assessment (CR 10, 11, 16)
This unit emphasizes test construction, test selection appropriate to the context, and
objective and fair-minded interpretation. Focuses on how psychologists measure and
compare individual’s abilities and characteristics. Demonstrates scientific explanations
of personality development along with the methods psychologists use to measure
personality concepts.
Content:
CH13 Psychological Testing
CH14 Theories of Personality
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Define intelligence, cultural influences, and list characteristics to measure
intelligence.

Compare and contrast historic and contemporary theories of intelligence.

Describe labels relating to intelligence.

Explain test design, standardization strategies, and techniques to establish
reliability.

Compare and contrast the major theories and approaches to explaining
personality.
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Special Assignment – Interpret the meaning of scores in terms of the normal
curve.

Debate the appropriate testing practices.

Take intelligence and personality inventories.
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Psychological Disorders (CR 12)
Investigates patterns of behavior that are considered deviant or distressful in our culture
and includes how psychologists diagnose these patterns.
Content:
CH16 Psychological Disorders
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Research contemporary and historical conceptions of what constitutes
psychological disorders using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders.

Take notes and discuss the major diagnostic categories and their corresponding
symptoms.

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the various approaches of psychological
disorders.

Special Assignment – Reading Sane in Insane Places, the Rosenhan study and
watching One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, discuss diagnostic labels and the
insanity defense.
Treatment of Psychological Disorders (CR 13)
Discusses the various intervention methods, including psychotherapy and medical
interventions that mental health practitioners use in treating abnormal conditions.
Content:
CH17 Therapy and Change
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Describe the characteristics of empirically based treatments of sociological
disorders.

Research the major treatment orientations used in psychotherapeutic
intervention.

Summarize effectiveness of specific treatments and prevention strategies.

Special Assignment – Research major figures in psychological treatment.
Premier one therapist.

Debate ethical practices.
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Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior (CR 14)
Explores how we perceive the social world and how we behave in relation to other
people. This unit explores how social and cultural contexts influence behavior.
Content:
CH18 Individual Interaction
CH19 Group Interaction
CH20 Attitudes and Social Influence
An AP student should be able to do the following:

Recognize the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias.

Explain how individuals respond to expectations including groupthink, conformity,
and obedience to authority.

Discuss attitudes on self-fulfilling prophecy and the impact of the presence of
others on individual behavior, noting persuasion and the bystander effect.

Describe the impact of gender, race, ethnicity and the process of differential
treatment.

Special Assignment – Demonstration of Solomon Asch’s experiment.

Participate in a benign simulation of the Zimbardo Prison Experiment.

Video and discussion of the Milgram Experiment.
Writing Assignments / Presentations:
Current events or issues invite the practical application of the course objectives. Class,
Text, and Video Notes of each chapter will be required. Power-point and lecture of
chapter sections will be presented in order to guide the reading of the textbook, as well
as to introduce new vocabulary, video enrichment, demonstrations, and review.
Students will be expected to demonstrate understanding on assessments.
The major assignments that students will be expected to complete:

Review of Literature and presentation

Empirical Articles with class presentation and peer evaluation.

Research major contributors to psychology.

Research a psychological disorder in order to produce a Pamphlet

Practice in analyzing graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams.
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Evaluation: Evaluation is a process employed to assess and measure the extent to
which students are demonstrating the desired skills and knowledge required of them for
this class. Evaluation will be both formative and summative with evaluation techniques
being varied. It is an ongoing process that provides feedback for both the teacher and
the learner in terms of the stated objectives.
Students may be evaluated in the following manner:

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




Quizzes / Tests / Semester Exam / practice AP tests
Written/ Essays
Class Discussions / Student Participation
Home work / Group work / Class work / Video notes
Special Projects = Research / Study Presentations / Research Pamphlet /
Experiment
Community Involvement / Participation in Health Fair
AP Psychology Exam
Grading:
The course grade is a weighted average consisting of the following elements:
 Quarterly Grades 20% (each)
 Semester Exam Grade (first ten units) 20%
The weights to determine student grades are as follows:
 Preparation (quizzes) 20%
 Participation (class assignments, class discussion) 20%
 Evaluation (essays, notebook, research paper) 30%
 Assessment (tests, project, presentation) 30%
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CHS AP Psychology Syllabus
After you have reviewed the preceding packet of information with your parent(s) or
guardian(s), please sign this sheet and return it to me so that I can verify you
understand what I expect out of each and every one of my students.
Student Name (please print): ____________________________________________
Student Signature:_____________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name (please print):______________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature:______________________________________________
Date:________________________________________________________________