Download Casa Roble High School - San Juan Unified School District

Del Campo High School
AP Psychology
SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Richard Hale
E-MAIL: [email protected]
CLASS TWITTER: @drhalepsych
OFFICE HOURS: Lunch, Before and After School, and by Appointment.
TEXTBOOK: Primary: Psychology and Life, 19th Ed. Gerrig/Zimbardo
Secondary supplemental texts will be provided.
The purpose of AP® Psychology is to introduce students to the systematic and scientific
study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students
are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of
the major subfields within psychology.
1. Students will prepare to do acceptable work on the AP Psychology Examination in
order to acquire college credit.
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 use technology platforms in the lab to complete assignments and research
online resources to acquire up to date knowledge and information from the changing field
of Psychology.
HOMEWORK/GROUP ASSIGNMENT EXPECTATIONS:
Ample notice will be given for any assignment, quiz, or exam. The amount of work
depends on the unit being covered in class. There are assigned pages to read in the
textbook every night. Vocabulary terms are also given for each unit. Quizzes are
administered frequently, at least once a unit. The quizzes range from using fill-in-theblank, short answer, and/or multiple-choice questions. Exams will be given at the end of
each unit and will consist of questions and one free-response question (simulating the AP
Exam). Other assignments given to students are class presentations, group projects, and
papers. These assignments vary with the unit being covered. Group and individual
projects will be used to acquire knowledge and use the material we are learning in real
world studies and discussions.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS: To be successful in this class a three ring binder is
recommended, consisting of notes paper, and dividers for class work/notes, homework,
worksheets, and tests/quizzes.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is an important part of the learning process. You are
expected to in class and on time. Grade reduction for excessive absences is as per school
policy. Each student is given two courtesy tardies, on the 3rd tardy students will receive
an hour long after school detention, from there each subsequent tardy will be handled in
accordance to school disciple policy- refer to your student handbook for clarification.
LATE HOMEWORK: Late homework is accepted only under school policy.
EXTRA HELP: Extra help can be obtained by coming to see me during lunch if possible
or before and after school. I will give each of you as much help as you are willing to
participate in actively.
CHEATING: The key to an individual’s success is to take responsibility for one’s own
actions. This means accepting the consequences for not completing reading or other
homework assignments. Anyone caught cheating at any time, on any assignment will
receive a score of 0 for that assignment regardless of its point value with no option to
make up the points.
GRADING POLICY: 90% of total points or above A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, 60-69% D,
0-59% F. Your grade is based on a percentage of the total points you earn. Students are
not penalized for excused absences when it comes to class participation.
SENSITIVE MATERIAL/CONDUCT DISCLAIMER: This class deals with sensitive
material of a mature nature. The curriculum is that of a college course. Students are
expected to act in a controlled age appropriate manner. Since profanity is “an ignorant
mind expressing itself,” and I will not stand for an ignorant mind in our classroom, poor
choice of language will result in a removal from our classroom. All rules in the student
handbook are to be followed. Consequences are per school policy; in the unlikely event
an infraction should occur.
EXPECTATIONS: It is my sincere hope you will have a positive experience in my
class. I will do all in my power to help you achieve success in my class. I will expect a
great deal of work and effort on your part. Students can expect me to always be prepared
to give you the best lesson possible. I will expect you to do the same.
Student: _____________________________________
Parent: ______________________________________
Date: ______________________
Course Schedule:
Social Psychology (3 weeks)
Social Influence
Cooperation vs. Competition
Obedience
Conformity
Group processes
Social Cognition
Attitudes
Social Perception
Interpersonal Attraction
History/Careers/Theories (2 weeks)
Relation to other Social Sciences
Foundations of Psychology
Historical Theories of Psychology
Evolution of Psychology
Fields within Psychology
Research and Statistics (2 weeks)
Methods of research (Application/Advantages/Disadvantages)
Conducting Experiments
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
Reliability and Validity
Ethical guidelines to conducting good research
Biological Bases of Behavior (3 weeks)
Division of the nervous system
Structure and communication of neurons
Endocrine system
Midbrain/Hindbrain/Forebrain
Plasticity
Functions of the brain
Sensation/Perception (3 weeks)
Structure of the eye
Theories of color vision
Structure of the ear
Olfaction and Gustation
Absolute and Difference thresholds
Gestalt Principles
Depth Perception
Visual Illusions
Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down processing
Attention
Consciousness (1 week)
Stages of Sleep
Sleep disorders
Classification of drugs
Long and short-term effects of drugs
Learning (1.5 weeks)
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Cognitive learning
Observational Learning
Memory (1.5 weeks)
Encoding/Storage/Retrieval
Recall vs. Recognition
Forgetting
Sensory/Short-Term and long-term memory
Retrieval cues
Interference
2nd Semester
Cognition (1.5 weeks)
Heuristics vs. Algorithms
Schemas
Problem-Solving
History of Intelligence testing
Good test construction
Theories of Intelligence
Advantages and disadvantages of I.Q. testing
Multiple Intelligences
Development and Language (4 weeks)
Components of Language
Grammar and Syntax
Acquisition of Language
Prenatal development
Piaget
Kohlberg
Erikson
Gender Roles
Attachment
Adulthood and Aging
Motivation/Emotion (2.5 weeks)
Theories of Emotion
Hunger motivation
Maslow’s hierarchy
Achievement motivation
Theories of Emotion
Cultural standards of emotion
Physical attributes of emotion
Personality and Stress (3 weeks)
Psychodynamic Theory
Trait Theory
Social-Cognitive Theory
Humanistic theory
Projective tests
Physiological stressors
Personality types
Measuring stress
Coping with stress
Disorders and Treatment (3 weeks)
Identifying illness
Anxiety Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Mood Disorders
Personality Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
DSM-IV
Psychodynamic Therapy
Behavioral Therapy
Humanistic Theory
Group Therapy
Cognitive Therapy
Biological Treatments