Download AP Psychology

AP Psychology
Textbook
Bernstein, Douglas A., et al. Psychology, 8th
ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 2008.
Teacher Resources
Bernstein, Douglas A., et al. Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the
AP Psychology Examination. USA: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning, 2008.
Lebie, Linda, et al. Teacher’s Resource Guide. USA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008.
Sattler, David N. and Virginia Shabatay. Psychology in Context:
Voices and Perspectives, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 2000.
Course Description and Objectives
AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and
scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human
beings. However, in order to successfully achieve this objective,
students in AP Psychology will:
• learn about some of the explorations and discoveries
made by psychologists over the past century;
• examine the psychological facts, principles, and
phenomena associated with each of the major subfields
within psychology;
• assess the differing approaches adopted by
psychologists, including the biological, behavioral,
cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural
perspectives;
• and learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use
in their science and practice in order to come to an
appreciation of how psychologists think.
As a result, students will be prepared to do acceptable work on
the AP Psychology Examination.
The course is divided into two semesters. First semester begins
with the Scope, History, and Methodology of Psychology and
continues through Intelligence and Psychological Testing.
Second semester picks up with Consciousness, Memory, and
Language and concludes with Social Psychology. Within this
framework, students will examine the major core concepts and
theories of psychology.
1
CR1—Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in history and
approaches.
CR2— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in research
methods.
Assessments and Grading
Students will be expected to complete weekly homework
assignments. The amount of work given for the week will vary
depending on the unit being covered. Students will also be
responsible for keeping a double-entry electronic journal that
they are to write in twice a week. The purpose of this doubleentry electronic journal is to promote critical thinking and
encourage independent exploration about the material at hand.
Short reading quizzes will be given on a weekly basis to
encourage students to keep up with the reading assignments.
These quizzes will range in style and will include fill-in-the-blank,
short answer, and multiple-choice questions.
At the end of each unit, students will take an objective, multiplechoice exam that covers material from the textbook,
supplemental readings, online discussions, and online lectures.
Each exam will also include an essay portion. Students will
receive a list of possible essay questions one week before the
exam. However, the question they are to address in the unit test
is of my own choosing.
Students will also complete a total of four major projects, one per
quarter. These projects will include but are not limited to group
projects, research projects, Power Points, and/or book/movie
reviews.
The following grade distribution will determine the overall grade
for the course:
• Tests, Essays, and FRQs: 40%
• Reading Quizzes: 15%
• Discussion Board/Elluminate Sessions: 15%
• Semester Final: 10%
• Quarterly Projects: 10%
• Double-entry Journal: 10%
The plus and minus system will be used in determining a
students grade. Grades ending in .6 or higher will be round up to
the next whole number. The grading scale for the course is as
follows:
• 95%-100% = A
74%-76% = C
• 90%-94% = A70%-73% = C• 87%-89% = B+
67%-69% = D+
• 84%-86% = B
64%-66% = D
• 80%-83% = B60%-63% = D• 77%-79% = C+
Below 60%= F
2
Course Outline
• Unit I: Scope, History, Methodology
• Unit II: Behaviorism
• Unit III: Neuroscience
• Unit IV: Sensation and Perception
• Unit V: Developmental Psychology
• Unit VI: Intelligence and Psychological Testing
• Unit VII: Consciousness, Memory, and Language
• Unit VIII: Motivation and Emotions
• Unit IX: Personality
• Unit X: Abnormal Psychology
• Unit XI: Treatment of Psychological Disorders
• Unit XII: Social Psychology
CR1—Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in history and
approaches.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
3
Curriculum Calendar
Unit I: Scope, History, and Methodology
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapters 1 and 2
Topics Examined:
• The history of psychology
• The subfields of psychology
• Different approaches to the science of psychology
• Human diversity and psychology
• Research methods in psychology
• Statistical analysis of research results
• Ethical guidelines for psychologists
Learning Objectives:
• Define psychology and trace its historical development.
• Name the psychological subfields and provide examples
of questions and issues associated with each subfield.
• Define empiricism and describe empirical research.
• Compare and contrast the basic assumptions that define
the six approaches to psychological phenomena:
biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral,
cognitive, and humanistic.
• Define hypothesis, data, operational definition, and
variable.
• Compare and contrast research methods (naturalistic
observation, case studies, and surveys).
• Define an experiment and given an example of it.
• Explain the role of independent and dependent variables,
and of experimental and control groups, in an experiment.
• Summarize the use of descriptive and inferential statistics
in evaluating research results.
• Discuss the roles of mode, median, and mean in
summarizing and describing research results.
• Describe the ethical guidelines that psychologists must
follow.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
4
CR1—Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in history and
approaches.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
CR2— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in research
methods.
Unit II: Behaviorism
Allocated Time of Unit: 1 week
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 6
Topics Examined:
• Stimuli
• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Cognitive processes in learning
• Using research on learning to help people learn
Learning Objectives:
• Define classical conditioning, unconditioned stimulus,
unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and
conditioned response.
• Describe how conditioning works by using the stimuli and
responses in an example.
• Describe and provide an example of the processes of
extinction, reconditioning, and spontaneous recovery.
• Define the law of effect.
• Define operant conditioning and explain how it differs from
classical conditioning.
• Define positive and negative reinforcers and give
examples of each.
• Define punishment and describe role in operant
conditioning.
• Discuss how operant conditioning can be used to treat
problematic behavior.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
5
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit III: Neuroscience
CR3— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in biological
bases of behavior.
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapters 3 and 19
Topics Examined:
• The nervous system
• The peripheral nervous system
• The central nervous system
• The chemistry of psychology
• The endocrine system
• The immune system
• Foundations of neuropsychology
Learning Objectives:
• Define the nervous system.
• Describe the three major components of information
processing that the nervous system performs.
• Define neurotransmitters and describe their roles in the
nervous system activity.
• Name the two major divisions of the nervous system.
• Name the two components of the peripheral nervous
system and describe their functions.
• Name the two components of the automatic nervous
system and describe their functions.
• Describe the functions of the brain structures.
• Identify the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and their
functions.
• Compare and contrast the differences between
communication processes of the nervous and endocrine
systems.
• Describe the interaction of the immune, nervous, and
endocrine systems.
• Define neuropsychology.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
6
Unit IV: Sensation and Perception
Allocated Time of Unit: 3 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapters 4 and 5
Topics Examined:
• The sensory systems
• Hearing
• Vision
• The chemical senses: smell and taste
• Somatic senses and vestibular system
• Perception
• Approaches to perception
• Psychophysics
• Organizing perceptual world
• Recognizing perceptual world
• Attention
Learning Objectives:
• Define sense and sensation.
• Explain the differences between sensation and
perception.
• Describe the six characteristics of sensory representation
for vision, hearing, and the skin senses.
• Name and describe the accessory structures of the ear.
• Define and describe the accessory structure of the eye,
including the cornea, iris, pupil, and lens.
• Describe the relationship among taste, smell, and flavor.
• Define somatic senses.
• Define perception.
• Compare and contrast perception and sensation.
• Define and describe depth perception.
• Describe the cues to depth provided by accommodation,
convergence, and binocular disparity.
• Compare and contrast bottom-up processing and topdown processing.
• Define attention.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
7
CR4— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in sensation and
perception.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit V: Developmental Psychology
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 12
Topics Examined:
• Prenatal development
• The newborn
• Infancy and childhood: cognitive, social, and emotional
development
• Adolescence
• Adulthood
Learning Objectives:
• Define developmental psychology.
• Describe how modern psychologists view the
contributions of nature and nurture to development.
• Describe the process of development in each of the
prenatal stages.
• Describe Piaget’s theory of knowledge and development.
• Describe the development of mental abilities during the
sensorimotor period.
• Describe the changes in cognition that occur during
Piaget’s stage of concrete operations.
• Discuss the criticisms of and alternatives to Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development.
• Describe the environmental and biological factors that
influence the development of gender roles.
• Describe the stages of moral reasoning suggested by
Kohlberg.
• Discuss the physical changes that occur during adulthood.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
8
CR9— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in
developmental psychology.
CR6— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in learning.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit VI: Intelligence and Psychological Testing
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 10
Topics Examined:
• Cognitive ability
• Testing for intelligence
• Evaluating Intelligence tests
• Understanding intelligence
• Diversity in cognitive abilities
Learning Objectives:
• Define cognitive ability.
• Discuss the history of intelligence test, or IQ test,
construction.
• Explain the scoring methods used in the Binet and
Stanford-Binet intelligence tests.
• Describe Wechsler’s intelligence test; explain why it is
different from tests that were used previously.
• Compare and contrast an aptitude test and an
achievement test.
• Discuss the evidence for and against the argument that IQ
tests are culturally biased; define culture-fair tests.
• Describe the triarchic theory of intelligence.
• Explain Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and list
the eight intelligences he proposed.
• Explain the differences between cross-sectional and
longitudinal studies as tools for examining age-related
changes to intelligence.
• Describe the types of learning disabilities and their
possible causes.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
9
CR11— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in testing and
individual differences.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit VII: Consciousness, Memory, and Language
Allocated Time of Unit: 3 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapters 7, 8, and 9
Topics Examined:
• The nature of memory
• Storing new memories
• Retrieving memories
• Forgetting
• Biological bases of memory
• Thinking strategies
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Language
• States of consciousness
• Sleeping and dreaming
• Hypnosis
• Psychoactive drugs
Learning Objectives:
• Define and provide an example of episodic, semantic, and
procedural memory.
• Distinguish between explicit and implicit memory.
• Name the three stages of processing involved in the
information-processing model.
• Define and distinguish between sensory memory, shortterm memory, and long-term memory.
• Discuss relationship between short-term memory and
working memory.
• Discuss the relationship between information-processing
systems and decision making in humans.
• Compare and contrast problem-solving strategies:
incubation, means-end analysis, working backyard, and
analogies.
• List the components of language.
• Identify language development stages.
• Discuss the roles of conditioning, imitation, nature, and
nurture in language development.
• Distinguish among the various levels of conscious activity
and provide an example of each.
• Describe the physiological and psychological effects of
depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
10
CR7— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in cognition.
CR5— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in states of
consciousness.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit VIII: Motivation and Emotions
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 11
Topics Examined:
• Concepts and theories of motivation
• Hunger and eating
• Sexual behavior
• Achievement motivation
• Relations and conflicts among motives
• The nature of emotion
• Theories of emotion
• Communicating emotion
Learning Objectives:
• Discuss the types of behavior motivation may help to
explain.
• Describe the sources of motivation.
• Compare and contrast the different motivational theories.
• Discuss the social and cultural influences on sexual
motivation.
• Describe the characteristics of achievement motivation
and the factors that can affect its development.
• Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; give examples of
each kind of need.
• Describe the defining characteristics of the subjective
experience of emotion.
• Discuss James’s peripheral theory of emotion and provide
an example of how an emotion would occur.
• Compare and contrast the key elements of the theories of
emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and SchachterSinger).
• Describe the social and cultural factors involved in
communicating emotion.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
11
CR8— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in motivation
and emotion.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit IX: Personality
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 14
Topics Examined:
• The psychodynamic approach
• The trait approach
• The social-cognitive approach
• The humanistic approach
• Assessing personality
Learning Objectives:
• Describe the assumptions of Freud’s psychodynamic
approach to personality.
• Describe the personality structure in terms of the
interactions of the id, ego, and superego.
• Give an example and explain the purpose behind each
defense mechanism.
• Name, define, and describe the psychosexual stages of
personality development.
• Explain some of the neo-Freudian variations on Freud’s
theory including Jung’s, Adler’s, and Horney’s ideas.
• Compare and contrast Allport’s trait theory and the big-five
model.
• Describe biological trait theories.
• Compare and contrast the operant approach (Skinner)
and the social-cognitive theories of personality.
• Compare and contrast Roger’s self theory and Maslow’s
growth theory.
• Describe the four general methods of personality
assessment.
• Discuss the difference between objective and projective
personality tests and give an example of each.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
12
CR10— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in personality.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit X: Abnormal Psychology
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 15
Topics Examined:
• Defining psychological disorders
• Explaining psychological disorders
• Classifying psychological disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Somatoform disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Mood disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Personality disorders
• Other psychological disorders
• Mental illness and the law
Learning Objectives:
• Describe the three criteria for abnormality and discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of using each criterion.
• Describe the contents of the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
• Describe the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder,
phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and
posttraumatic stress disorder.
• Describe and explain the development of somatoform and
mood disorders.
• Define schizophrenia and name the five subtypes of
schizophrenia.
• Define personality disorder and give a brief description of
the different personality disorders that exist.
• Explain the symptoms and experiences related to
substance-abuse disorders, including addiction.
• Discuss the laws designed to protect the rights of people
with severe psychological disorders who are accused of a
crime.
• Describe the legal reform procedures regarding mental
illness.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
13
CR12— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in abnormal
psychology.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit XI: Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapter 16
Topics Examined:
• Basic features of treatment
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Humanistic psychotherapy
• Behavior therapy
• Group, family, and couples therapy
• Biological treatments
Learning Objectives:
• Describe the common features of treatments.
• Define and distinguish between a psychiatrist and a
psychologist.
• Define the methods of psychotherapy and discuss how
these methods reveal clues about unconscious mental
processes.
• Describe the difference between Freud’s original
psychoanalysis and modern variations; describe some of
the methods used in contemporary psychoanalysis.
• Explain the basic assumptions of Gestalt therapy.
• Define behavior therapy and describe its basic features
and assumptions on which it is based.
• Describe the theoretical basis of the humanistic approach
to therapy.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of group,
family, and couples therapy.
• Discuss the cultural influence on the choice of
psychotherapy, its goals, and its expectations.
• Describe how differences in ethnicity and gender may
result in different responses to psychoactive drugs.
• Explain the criticisms of using psychoactive drugs to treat
psychological disorders.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
14
CR13— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in treatment of
psychological disorders.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.
Unit XII: Social Psychology
Allocated Time of Unit: 2 weeks
Textbook: Bernstein, Chapters 17 and 18
Topics Examined:
• Social influences on the self
• Social perception
• Attitudes
• Prejudice and stereotypes
• Interpersonal attraction
• Social influence
• Conformity and compliance
• Obedience
• Aggression
• Altruism and helping behavior
• Cooperation, competition, and conflict
• Group processes
Learning Objectives:
• Compare and contrast self-concept and self-esteem.
• Define social identity and discuss it as a theory.
• Define attribution.
• Describe the three criteria used in making attributions and
explain how they influence whether we make an internal
or external attribution.
• Describe the cognitive, affective, and behavioral
components of attitudes and give an example of each.
• Define cognitive dissonance and describe the process of
reducing cognitive dissonance.
• Compare and contrast the motivational, cognitive, and
learning theories of stereotypes and prejudice.
• Define norms and describe their influence on social
behavior.
• Compare and contrast conformity and compliance;
describe the role of norms in conformity and compliance.
• Explain the different strategies used for inducing
compliance.
• Define obedience; describe Milgram’s study and his
findings on obedience.
• Discuss the results of Asch’s experiment on conformity.
• Define groupthink and discuss what can be done to
minimize or prevent it from happening.
Assessments:
• Reading Quizzes
• Discussion Board and Elluminate Sessions
• Double-entry Journal
• Multiple Choice Exam (40 questions)
• FRQ
15
CR14— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in social
psychology.
CR15— Evidence of
Curricular Requirement:
The course provides
instruction in empirically
supported psychological
facts, research findings,
terminology, associated
phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and
psychological experiments.