Download AP Psychology Syllabus

AP Psychology Syllabus
The purpose of the AP Psychology course 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. They also learn about the ethics and
methods psychologists use in their science and practice.
Course Objectives
1. Students will prepare to do acceptable work on the AP Psychology Examination.
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 build their reading, writing and discussion skills as well as learn
about psychology as a profession.
Textbook
Myers, David G. Psychology, 6th ed. New York: Worth, 2001. (Includes a study guide.)
Teachers Resources
Sternberg, Robert J. In Search of the Human Mind, 2nd ed. New York: Harcourt Brace &
Company, 1998.
Rathus, Spencer A. Psychology, 5th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993.
Benjamin, Ludy T., Hopkins, J. Roy, Nation, Jack R. Psychology, 3rd ed. New York:
Macmillian College Publishing Company, 1994.
The Annenberg/CPB Collection. Discovering Psychology. Series. WGBH Boston, 1989.
Homework
Students will be assigned regular reading quizzes (covering the entire text) that will align
with the unit covered. In order to fulfill this assignment, students will have to
consistently exercise discipline and planning to maintain constant preparation and thus
achieve success.
Vocabulary terms are also given for each unit. A vocabulary quiz (covering the unit
terms) will be administered the day before each unit test. The format will consist of fillin-the-blank, multiple-choice, true/false and matching.
Students will be expected to study and prepare for unit tests. The tests will consist of 50
to 70 multiple choice questions and one essay completed in a one and a half hour block.
The students, as a class, will complete one critical review of a professional journal article
a six weeks for an essay grade. In addition, students will have the option of completing
critical reviews of professional journal articles for extra credit. They will be allowed one
per six weeks. The students will receive the outline and format for the review. They will
obtain access to the professional journals through our campus library online resources.
Course Plan
Unit I: History, Approaches and Research Methods – 3 weeks
a. Logic, Philosophy, and History of Science
b. Approaches – Biological, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic, Psychodynamic,
Sociocultural, Evolutionary (CR1)
c. Research methods – Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental (CR16)
d. Statistics – Descriptive and Inferential (CR2)
e. Ethics in research – animal and human
Objectives:
 Define psychology and examine its history.
 Examine the similarities and differences of the various perspectives.
 Discover the differences and uses of basic and applied research.
 Discuss the ideas behind common sense and research.
 Compare the different descriptive methods of collecting data (case study,
naturalistic observation, survey, etc.).
 Learn the various ways to plot and illustrate data.
 Analyze correlational research (positive, negative and null correlations,
correlation coefficient, illusory correlations and random events, etc.).
 Explore the process of experimentation (theory, hypothesis, populations,
representative samples, independent and dependent variables, extraneous
variables, experimental controls, experimenter bias, replication, etc.).
 Examine the need for laboratory research and it’s goals. Illustrate the value and
ethics involved in using live test subjects.
 Describe descriptive and inferential statistics and the principles involved
(measures of central tendency, variability, standard deviation, variance, statistical
significance, validity, reliability, normal/non-normal distributions, etc.).
Unit II: Biological Basis of Behavior (CR 3) – 3 weeks
a. Physiological techniques (e.g. imaging, surgical)
b. Neuroanatomy
c. Functional Organization of Nervous System
d. Neural Transmission
e. Endocrine System
f. Genetics
Objectives:
 Establish the relationship between biology and behavior.
 Describe the functions of brain structures (medulla oblongata, pons, cerebellum,
RAS, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebrum, cerebellum,
corpus callosum, etc.).
 Discuss the lobes and their functions.
 Examine the function of the association areas.
 Identify the Peripheral Nervous System, its branches and functions.
 Describe the endocrine system and explain how it interacts with the nervous
system.
 Explore the anatomy of the neuron (dendrites, axon, terminals knobs, action
potential, resting potential, myelin sheath, soma, synapse, refractory, sodiumpotassium pump, homeostasis, threshold, etc.) and gain an understanding of
neural impulses and pathways.
 Identify the neurotransmitters and their importance in the communication of the
body.
 Discuss Date’s Law and what it means for the future research and understanding
of the neural system.
 Explain R and D and agonists and antagonists.
 Discuss the brain imaging techniques (EEG, lesioning, CAT scans, PET scans,
MRI, fMRI, etc.).
 Examine the language areas of the brain (Broca, Wernicke, angular gyrus, etc.).
Unit III: Developmental Psychology (CR9) - 3 weeks
a. Life-span approach
b. Research methods (e.g., longitudinal, cross-sectional, twin studies)
c. Heredity-Environment issues
d. Developmental theories
e. Dimensions of development (physical, cognitive, social, moral)
f. Sex roles, sex differences
Objectives:
 Discuss the 3 major issues (nature vs. nurture, continuity vs. stages, stability vs.
change) and how they relate to development/maturation.
 Discuss the course of prenatal development (zygote, embryo, fetus, placenta,
FAS).
 Illustrate how we can understand the competency of the newborn.
 Explain the need for an enriched environment for the purpose of social,
behavioral, psychological, and intellectual development.
 Discuss concepts such as plasticity and pruning as it applies to brain organization
and reorganization.
 Establish the genetics versus environmental foundations of motor abilities.
 Describe the theories of Piaget, Erikson, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Kubler-Ross, and
Vygotsky.
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Describe the benefits of a secure attachment (vs. insecure attachment) and the
impact of parental neglect (Harlow’s monkeys). In addition, explore the concepts
of body contact, familiarity, responsive/unresponsive parents, disruption and
deprivation of attachment, and the affect of daycare and divorce on the
development of the individual
Distinguish between the various parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative,
permissive, rejecting-neglecting).
Discuss the development of self-concept.
Establish the stages of adolescent development (puberty, forming an identity,
developing intimacy, teen pregnancy).
Describe the events of adulthood (physical changes, life-expectancy, health,
Alzheimer’s Disease, progression of intelligence, social changes, Levinson, love,
empty nest syndrome, etc.).
Distinguish between longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. (CR15)
Unit IV: States of Consciousness (CR5) - 2 weeks
a. Sleep and Dreaming
b. Hypnosis
c. Psychoactive Drug Effects
Objectives:
 Analyze the individual differences in the experience of consciousness.
 Distinguish between commonly experienced consciousness and atypical
variations
 Describe the cyclical nature of sleep.
 Discuss the possible functions of sleep
 Identify the major sleep disorders.
 Differentiate between manifest and latent content of dreams.
 Evaluate the content of dreams.
 Describe the possible functions of dreams.
 Compare the differences between REM and NREM sleep.
 Discuss the stages of sleep.
 Examine the effects of hypnosis, mediation and daydreaming.
 Discuss the nature of drug dependence; both psychological and physical (CR15).
 Chart the names and effects of depressants, stimulants and hallucinogenic drugs.
Unit V: Sensation and Perception (CR4) – 3 weeks
a. Thresholds
b. Sensory Mechanisms
c. Sensory Adaptation
d. Attention
e. Perceptual Processes
Objectives:
 Establish the processes of sensation and perception.
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Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds and how signal detection
theory affects absolute threshold.
Describe the various sensory receptors and how energy is transduced for use in
the nervous system.
Label a diagram of the eye and ear.
Describe the operations of the sensory systems; with more emphasis on vision and
audition.
Explain the Young-Helmholtz and opponent-process theories of color vision.
Explain the place and frequency theories of pitch perception.
Discuss sensory disorders.
Discuss Gestalt principles of perception, perceptual constancies, retinal disparity,
convergence.
Distinguish between monocular and binocular cues for depth perception (CR15).
Explain the Visual Cliff experiment.
Discuss cultural influences on perception.
Examine ESP and its various branches.
Unit VI: Learning (CR6) – 2 weeks
a. Classical Conditioning
b. Operant Conditioning
c. Cognitive Processes in Learning
d. Biological Factors
e. Social Learning (Observational Learning)
Objectives:
 Distinguish between learned (conditioned) and unlearned (unconditioned)
behavior.
 Describe the process of classical conditioning (Pavlov’s and Watson’s
experiments)
 Explain the processes of acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery,
generalization, and discrimination.
 Analyze the effects of reinforcement and punishment on behavior.
 Examine the various schedules of reinforcement.
 Study the effects of omission training, behavior modification, active and passive
avoidance, etc.
 Evaluate the effectiveness of Operant Conditioning including method of
successive approximations, shaping and the Skinner Box.
 Identify the criticisms of operant conditioning; including latent learning, over
justification and biological predispositions.
 Describe the importance of cognitive processes and biological predispositions
(taste aversion) in conditioning.
 Discuss observational learning (Bandura).
Unit VII: Memory – 2 weeks
a. Memory
Objectives:
 Describe memory in terms of information processing and distinguish among
sensory memory (iconic and echoic) , short-term memory, and long-term
memory.
 Distinguish between automatic and effortful processing.
 Distinguish between serial and parallel processing.
 Explain the encoding process.
 Describe the capacity and duration of long-term memory in relation to short-term.
 Distinguish between implicit and explicit memory.
 Describe the importance of retrieval cues (context effects, rehearsal, spacing
effect, serial position effect, next in line effect, method of loci, chunking,
acronyms, etc.).
 Discuss the effects of interference and motivated forgetting on retrieval.
 Describe recovered and reconstructed memory.
 Discuss Kandel and Schwartz’s research and long-term potentiation.
Unit VIII: Thinking and Language – 2 weeks
a. Language
b. Thinking
c. Problem Solving and Creativity (CR7)
Objectives:
 Describe the nature of concepts and the role of prototypes in concept formation.
 Discuss how we use trial and error, algorithms, heuristics, and insight to solve
problems.
 Explore the obstacles of problem solving (confirmation bias, fixation, mental set,
functional fixedness).
 Explain how the representativeness and availability heuristics influence our
judgments.
 Discuss how concepts like overconfidence, framing, belief bias, and belief
perseverance phenomenon can influence our decision making.
 Describe the current state of artificial intelligence information.
 Describe the structure of language (phonemes, morphemes, grammar).
 Identify language development stages (babbling, one word, two word, etc.)
 Explain how the nature-nurture debate is illustrated in the theories of language
development.
 Discuss Noam Chomsky and Skinner’s debate on language development.
 Discuss Whorf’s linguistic relativity hypothesis.
 Describe the research on animal cognition and communication.
Unit IX: Motivation and Emotion (CR8) – 2 weeks
a. Biological Bases
b. Theories of Motivation
c. Hunger, Thirst, Sex and Pain
d. Social Motives
e. Theories of Emotion
f. Stress
Objectives:
 Define motivation and identify motivational theories (instinct theory, drivereduction theory, arousal theory, incentive theory).
 Describe the physiological, environmental and cultural aspects of hunger.
 Explore the mechanics of eating disorders.
 Explain the lack of success in trial marriages.
 Define achievement motivation, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
 Discuss the effects of birth order on achievement.
 Discuss the research on motivating people; especially in the work place.
 Distinguish between primary and secondary motivators.
 Discuss the need to belong.
 Identify the theories of emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer,
opponent process, adaptation level principle, relative deprivation principle).
 Describe the physiological changes that occur during emotional arousal.
 Describe the biological response to stress.
 Compare and contrast the cultural similarities and differences of emotional
expression.
Unit X: Testing and Individual Differences (CR11) – 2 weeks
a. Standardization and Norms
b. Reliability and Validity
c. Types of Tests
d. Ethics and Standards in Testing
e. Intelligence
f. Heredity/Environment and Intelligence
g. Human Diversity
Objectives:
 Discuss the origins of intelligence testing (Gall, Galton, Binet, Terman, Sternberg,
Weschler).
 Describe the nature of intelligence.
 Identify the factors associated with creativity.
 Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests; including test construction.
 Describe test standardization.
 Distinguish between the reliability and validity of intelligence tests.
 Describe the two extremes of the normal distribution of intelligence.
 Discuss evidence for both genetic and environmental influences on intelligence.
 Discuss whether intelligence tests are culturally biased.
 Discuss prenatal brain development (neurogenesis, cell migration, axonal growth,
synaptogenesis).
Unit XI: Personality (CR10) – 2 weeks
a. Personality Theories and Approaches
b. Assessment Techniques
c. Self-concept/Self-esteem
d. Growth and Adjustment
Objectives:
 Define personality.
 Discuss Freud’s psychodynamic approach to personality development.
 Describe personality structure in terms of the interactions of the id, ego, and
superego.
 Explain how defense mechanisms protect the individual from anxiety.
 Describe the contributions of the neo-Freudians.
 Discuss trait perspective and explain how personality inventories are used to
assess traits.
 Describe the humanistic perspective on personality in terms of Maslow’s focus on
self-actualization and Roger’s emphasis on people’s potential for growth.
 Describe the impact of individualism and collectivism on self-identity.
 Describe the social-cognitive perspective on personality.
 Discuss the consequences of personal control, learned helplessness, and optimism.
Unit XII: Abnormal Psychology (CR12) – 2 weeks
a. Definitions of Abnormality
b. Theories of Psychopathology
c. Diagnosis of Psychopathology
d. Anxiety Disorders
e. Somatoform Disorders
f. Mood Disorders
g. Schizophrenic Disorders
h. Organic Disorders
i. Personality Disorders
j. Dissociative Disorders
Objectives:
 Identify the criteria for judging whether behavior is psychologically disordered.
 Describe the medical model of psychological disorders.
 Describe the aims of DSM-IV, and discuss the potential dangers of diagnostic
labels.
 Describe the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessivecompulsive, disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.
 Describe and explain the development of somatoform and mood disorders.
 Describe the various symptoms and types of schizophrenia.
 Explain bi-polar disorder.
 Describe the nature of organic and personality disorders.
 Describe the characteristics and possible causes of dissociative disorders.
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Emphasize that prevention is the key.
Unit XIII: Treatment of Psychological Disorders (CR13) – 2 weeks
a. Treatment Approaches
b. Modes of Therapy (e.g., individual, group)
c. Community and Preventive Approaches
Objectives:
 Discuss the aims and methods of psychoanalysis.
 Identify the basic characteristics of the humanistic therapies.
 Identify the basic assumptions of behavior therapy.
 Describe the assumptions and goals of the cognitive therapies.
 Discuss the benefits of group therapy and family therapy.
 Discuss the findings regarding the effectiveness of the psychotherapies.
 Discuss the role of values and cultural differences in the therapeutic process.
 Identify the common forms of drugs therapy and the use of biomedical therapy.
Unit XIV: Social Psychology (CR14) – 2 weeks
a. Group Dynamics
b. Attribution Process
c. Interpersonal Perception
d. Conformity, Compliance, Obedience
e. Attitudes and Attitude Change
f. Organizational Behavior
g. Aggression/Antisocial Behavior
Objectives:
 Describe the importance of attribution in social behavior.
 Explain the effect of role-playing on attitudes in terms of cognitive dissonance
theory.
 Discuss the results of Asch’s experiment on conformity.
 Describe Milgram’s controversial experiments on obedience.
 Discuss how group interaction can facilitate group polarization and groupthink.
 Describe the social, emotional and cognitive factors that contribute to the
persistence of cultural, ethnic and gender prejudice and discrimination.
 Discuss the issues related to aggression and attraction.
 Explain altruistic behavior in terms of social exchange theory and social norms.
Curriculum Requirements:
CR1: Evidence of Curriculur Requirement: The course provides instruction in history
and approaches
CR2: The course provides instruction in research methods.
CR3: The course provides instruction in biological bases of behavior.
CR4: The course provides instruction in sensation and perception.
CR5: The courser provides instruction in states of consciousness.
CR6: The course provides instruction in learning.
CR7: The course provides instruction in cognition.
CR8: The course provides instruction in motivation and emotion.
CR9: The course provides instruction in developmental psychology
CR10: The course provides instruction in personality.
CR11: The course provides instruction in testing and individual differences.
CR12: The course provides instruction in abnormal psychology.
CR13: The course provides instruction in treatment of psychological disorders.
CR14: The course provides instruction in social psychology.
CR15: The course provides instruction in empirically supported psychological facts,
research findings, terminology, associated phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and psychological experiments.
CR16: The course provides instruction in ethics and research methods used in
psychological science and practice.