Download Draft:Park August 2011 Standards Essential Questions and

Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
Structure of the Standards 2011
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The Scientific Inquiry Domain is the center of the structure, demonstrating that the
perspectives of psychological science and the research methods, measurement, and
statistics used to study psychological phenomena are the foundation of all
psychological research and study.
The Biopsychology Domain, which includes units on the biological bases of
behavior, sensation and perception and states of consciousness, and the
Development and Learning Domain, which includes units on lifespan development,
learning, and language development, are located on the second level, demonstrating
how biology and the environment influence behavior in significant and fundamental
ways.
The third layer of the diagram includes the domains that apply psychology to more
specific areas of behavior and mental processes, showcasing both basic and applied
psychological science:
o The Cognition Domain (including units on memory, thinking, and
intelligence) investigates the mental processes that drive behavior.
o The Individual Variations Domain (including units on personality,
motivation, emotion, and psychological disorders) highlights individual
differences that occur among human beings.
o The Sociocultural Context Domain (including units on sociocultural
interactions and sociocultural diversity) delves into how social, cultural,
gender, and economic factors influence behavior and human interactions.
The final outside layer, the Scientific Applications Domain, which includes units on
the treatment of psychological disorders, health, and vocational applications,
showcases applied areas of psychological science, demonstrating how psychology is
used by scientists and practitioners in the larger world.
(DIAGRAM NEXT PAGE)
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
FIGURE 1: GRAPHICAL ILLUSTRATION OF THE NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR HIGH SCHOOL
PSYCHOLOGY CURRICULA (2011).
Scientific Applications
Units Taught:
 Treatment of Psychological Disorders
 Vocational
Applications
 Health
The Sociocultural
Context
Cognition
Units Taught:
Units Taught:
 Memory
 Social Interactions
 Sociocultural
Diversity
Biological Bases of Behavior
 Intelligence
Units Taught:
 Biological Bases of Behavior
 Sensation &
Perception
 Thinking
 Consciousness
Scientific Inquiry
Units Taught:
 Perspectives in
Psychological Science
 Research Methods,
Measurement, and
Statistics
Development & Learning
Units Taught:
 Lifespan Development  Learning
 Language Development
Units Taught:
Individual Variations
 Personality
 Motivation
 Emotion
 Psychological
Disorders
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
ovERARCHING THEMES FROM THE STANDARDS DOCUMENT
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The development of scientific attitudes and skills, including critical thinking, problem solving,
and an appreciation for scientific methodology
A recognition of the diversity of individuals who advance the field
A multi-cultural and global perspective that recognizes how diversity is important to
understanding psychology
An awareness that psychological knowledge, like all scientific knowledge, evolves rapidly as
new discoveries are made
An acknowledgement that psychology explores behavior and mental processes of both human
and non-human animals
An appreciation for ethical standards that regulate scientific research and professional practice
An understanding that different content areas within psychological science are interconnected
An ability to relate psychological knowledge to everyday life
A knowledge of the variety of careers available to those who study psychology
An appreciation that psychological science and knowledge can be useful in addressing a wide
array of issues, from individual to global levels
An awareness of the importance of drawing evidence-based conclusions about psychological
phenomena.
Each standard area refers to a major topic or unit in psychology. The respective
standard areas within each of the broad domains are listed below.
Scientific Inquiry Domain
Perspectives in Psychological Science
Research Methods, Measurement, and Statistics
Biopsychology Domain
Biological Bases of Behavior
Sensation and Perception
Consciousness
Development and Learning Domain
Life Span Development
Learning
Language Development
Sociocultural Context Domain
Social Interactions
Sociocultural Diversity
Cognition Domain
Memory
Thinking
Intelligence
Individual Variations Domain
Motivation
Emotion
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
Personality
Psychological Disorders
Applications of Psychological Science Domain
Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Health
Vocational Applications
Essential Questions
How is psychology a science?
What are the perspectives that have influenced the science and development of the field?
What are the contributions made by psychologists who do basic research?
How is the research of psychologists applied to many different fields and public issues?
What are the limits of descriptive research methods?
How is correlational research used to answer questions about human behavior?
Why is experimental research essential to answering questions about human behavior?
What are the issues psychologists must address when conducting research with animals
and humans?
Can human behavior be altered?
Can human behavior be controlled?
How is perception affected by the processes of the senses and the cognitive interpretation
of these biological signals?
How can we process information at both the conscious and unconscious level?
What should be the role of psychologists in addressing societal problems?
How can classical conditioning explain human behaviors that we experience in everyday
life?
What is the role of reinforcement in the development of learned behaviors?
Can observational learning explain how we develop our attitudes, personality traits and
emotional dispositions?
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
How do we communicate?
How do humans and other animals communicate?
How do systems of our body interact and affect human behavior?
How do chemicals in our brain and body affect our behavior?
How can psychologists help us to understand ourselves?
How does psychology help us to understand our everyday lives?
How are our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors a product of how our brain functions?
What are the behaviors of humans that make them significantly different from other
animals?
Can a damaged brain repair itself?
How do psychologists examine human behavior?
What is the scientific perspective by which psychologists study behavior?
How is development a continuous process from conception to death?
Does human development occur gradually or in stages?
Do people change over the lifespan or are they relatively stable?
Are there critical periods in development?
How does heredity interact with the environment to affect human development?
How do nature and nurture interact to influence human development?
How does gender affect development across the lifespan?
How does culture affect development across the lifespan?
How do one’s abilities/disabilities affect development across the lifespan?
Can negative influences that slow down growth be overcome?
How do we perceive the world?
Do we all perceive the world the same way?
How do our senses interact to affect sensation and perception?
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
What motivates us?
How are we affected by internal and external factors?
How do we feel emotion?
How do we process emotion?
How do we interpret emotion?
How do we express emotion?
What is consciousness?
How is intelligence defined and measured?
How should intelligence testing be used?
How can the results of various measures of intelligence be applied in the real world?
How can we define and measure intelligence in such a way that the results are valid
and culturally fair?
How is our thinking/intelligence affected by the information provided by our culture
and environment?
Can decision making skills be developed to overcome poor judgment and problem
solving abilities?
Is intelligence more than being smart in school?
How is language a product of biological and environmental factors?
How does language influence our thinking?
How doe thinking influence our language?
What are the universal attributes of language?
Is there a critical period for language development?
How is personality a product of biological and environmental factors?
How does personality influence behavior?
Is personality stable across the lifespan?
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
What are the basic needs for human survival?
What are the basic needs for good mental health?
What does it mean to be normal?
How do psychologists define abnormal?
What are the issues in using a standardized measure of abnormality?
What are the biological and environmental factors that affect normal behavior?
What are the biological and environmental factors that cause abnormal behavior?
How do psychologists treat abnormal behavior?
Can individuals with psychological disorders be cured?
How do individuals’ disorders impact others?
How are attributions responsible for behavior?
Can the situation influence the individual more than the person’s attitudes and beliefs?
How do groups affect individual behavior?
How does an individual affect group behavior?
Are humans born evil?
Are humans born aggressive?
Why does violence attract our attention?
What role does culture play in the development of gender identity?
How is gender identity affected by biological and social factors throughout the
developmental lifespan?
Are women and men really that different?
Is gender preference a result of biology or environment?
How difficult would it be for an individual to function without memory?
How is memory encoding and storage affected by biological and environmental factors?
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings
How can we use psychology to promote healthy lifestyle choices?
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that:
There are multiple perspectives by which psychologists study and explain human
behavior.
Heredity and environment interact in the development of an individual across the
lifespan.
Scientific evidence is used to explain all findings in the field of psychology.
The human body is a combination of systems that interact and affect each other.
Accepting the diversity of human behavior can be a positive step towards better
relationships – between people, groups and nations.
Development is a continuous process.
Each individual perceives the world differently, despite similar physical and
psychological experiences.
Personality is more than the outward behaviors of an individual.
People are motivated by biological and environmental factors.
Emotions are a result of biological and cognitive reactions to stimuli.
Our individual perspectives make us unique.
Cooperation makes us strong.
Only by understanding others can we better understand ourselves.
Conflict, good or bad, is stressful.
Conflict can result in growth.
Psychology cannot solve all of the problems of society but it can contribute to the
process.
Draft:Park August 2011
Standards Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings