AP Psychology Syllabus - JMB-Psych - Wikispaces.net

AP Psychology Syllabus James M. Bennett High School Instructor: Mr. Garlock [email protected] AP Psychology Exam – Monday May 6, 2013 @ 12:00 noon. Class website address - http://jmb-psych.wicomico.wikispaces.net Course Purpose: This course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major sub-fields within psychology. In this way, the course will illustrate that while psychology covers diverse topics, these topics are note completely distinct, but instead integrate to make up the general field. Furthermore, students will learn methodologies used by psychologists to understand the value of empirical data as well as ethical considerations in the field of psychology. Course Description AP Psychology is a college level introductory course designed to prepare for the AP exams given in May. Students will identify and discuss the major psychological theories that are used to explain tendencies and behaviors in human populations. Areas of study include, research and methods, historical perspectives, neuroscience, bio-psychosocial, and social-cultural perspectives. Through the study of psychology, students will demonstrate a greater awareness and appreciation of individual and group differences in the world society. Required Materials Text: Myers, David G, Psychology for AP* Materials: 3 ring binder and two spiral bound notebooks dedicated to AP Psychology. Throughout the year you will be provided with handouts and articles that will benefit you throughout the year, which should be kept in a binder. I suggest that you purchase one 3 subject notebook for taking notes from the textbook and lectures. It will be the student’s responsibility to keep up with notes from the text and class. Each student should have an additional spiral bound notebook for psychological terms. AP Psychology is a termdriven course, and this notebook will be collected after each chapter and graded for completeness and accuracy. Grading Grades are based on a point system. Your grade will be arrived at by using the following formula: your points/possible points= your percentage A = 90 – 100% B= 80 – 89% C = 70 – 79% D = 60 – 69% E= 0 – 59 % Standard county policy will be utilized in determining midterm and final grades. Points will be earned in the following areas: 1. Tests: A test will be given at the end of most chapters. These tests will follow the formula of the AP exam (multiple choice and essay), and will cover all assigned readings, class lectures, discussions and videos. Tests will be comprehensive as we progress through the year and students will be responsible for all material taught up until the point of the test. 2. Quizzes / Classwork: Quizzes will be given periodically – not always announced ahead of time. There will also be assignments to be completed in-class. 3. Projects: There will be a number of projects, some will be individual and some with be completed in groups. 4. Homework: Homework will include responses to assigned questions for every chapter and additional assignments as appropriate.

Miscellaneous Attendance: It is anticipated that students will occasionally miss class due to illness, extra-curricular activities, etc. Due to the nature of an AP course, excessive absences negatively affect your ability to be successful in the class and on the AP exam. I suggest that you pair up with a reliable classmate in your class period who is willing to share what transpired in class while you were out. Participation: Simply being present in class does provide the level of understanding necessary for success in an AP class. Healthy discussion will aide in your understanding of the psychological principles we will cover, and is expected during class. Being prepared and focused during class is the key to your ability to participate. AP Exam: This is an AP course, and it is expected that each student will take the AP exam. For students who choose not to take the AP exam, there will be an alternative assignment. (Explained below.) Due Dates: Homework and projects will not be accepted late. Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism, improper internet use, copying from a classmate, passing someone else’s work in as your own, or attempting to cheat on quizzes or tests are all examples of academic dishonesty. Cheating will not be tolerated nor will you receive a warning. Academic dishonesty will result in a zero on the assignment, followed by parental and administrative notification. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Semester One/ First Quarter Intro: Psychology Past and Present Myers: pages 1 - 15  History of the development of psychology from prescience to science  Current Perspectives of psychology  Bio-psychosocial approach  subfields of psychology Chapter 1: Critical Thinking/ Psychology as a Science Myers: pages 19 - 51  The Scientific Attitude  The Scientific Method  Descriptive Models: Case Study, Survey, and Naturalistic Observation  Correlation and Causation  Experimentation: experimental model, variables, creating and evaluating experiment  Statistics: making sense of statistics, describing data, making inferences using data  Ethics and professionalism in and out of the laboratory Chapter 18: Social Psychology Myers: pages 723 – 772  Social Thinking: attribution, attitudes and actions, and cognitive dissonance theories  Social Influence: conformity and obedience, Asch and Milgram  Group Influence: facilitation, deindividuation, group polarization, groupthink  Social Relations: prejudice and aggression, social traps, attraction, altruism, social exchange theory, cooperation and peacemaking Chapter 2: Neuroscience and Behavior Reading: Myers: pages 53 - 87  Neurons: how they communicate, the role of neurotransmitters  The Nervous System: peripheral and central nervous systems  The Endocrine System  The Brain: Brain structures and their roles Chapter 3: Nature, Nurture and Human Development Myers: pages 95 - 134  Behavior genetics and predicting individual differences  Evolutionary psychology: understanding and critiquing natural selection and the

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evolutionary perspective Cultural and Gender similarities and differences Second Quarter

Chapter 4: Human Development through the Life Span Myers: pages 139 - 195  Prenatal Development and the Newborn:  Infancy and Childhood: physical, cognitive and social development Theorists: Piaget and Harlow  Adolescence: physical, cognitive, moral and social development; Theorists: Kohlberg and Erikson  Adulthood: physical, cognitive and social development Chapter 5 & 6: Sensation and Perception Myers: pages 197 - 270  Sensing: Thresholds and sensory adaptation  Bottom-up and Top-down processing  Visual, auditory, taste, touch, feel kinesthetic and vestibular  Sensation: process of transduction  Perceptional Organization and Interpretation  Sensory deprivation and its effects (These chapters will be tested on one single exam.) Chapter 7: States of Consciousness Myers: pages 271 – 309  Conscious states: biological rhythms, sleep, sleep disorders and dreams  Hypnosis: is it an altered state  Drugs: class, biological responses, dependence, addiction and treatment Chapter 8: Learning Myers: pages 311 – 347  Define learning: both associative and observational  Classical Conditioning, behaviorism, Pavlov and Watson, ethics in the laboratory  Operant Conditioning, reinforcement, Thorndike and Skinner  Observational Learning, Bandura, and prosocial behavior Chapter 9: Memory Myers: pages 349 – 393  Encoding, storage and retrieval of information  Failures of memory  Memory Construction: misinformation, source amnesia, validity of memories Semester Two/ Third Quarter Chapter 10: Thinking and Language Myers: pages 395 – 429  Cognition, concepts, problem solving strategies and obstacles, and making decisions  Language structure and development  Influence of language in thinking Chapter 11: Intelligence Myers: pages 431 – 467  Views on intelligence: general ability vs. several specific abilities and/or multiple intelligences  Assessment of Intelligence: origins, modern testing, test construction  Genetic and environmental influences on testing  Group differences and bias Chapters 12, 13, & 14: Motivation, Emotion, Stress and Health Myers: pages 469 – 592  Instinct, Drive, and Arousal Theories  Maslow: Hierachy of Motivations/Needs

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Physiological motivations of hunger and sex Cannon-Bard, James-Lange, and Schachter-Singer theories of emotion Physiological aspects of emotion Cultural specific vs. cultural universal expression of emotion Stress response system/ fight or flight Psychophysiological illness / stress and the immune system Promoting health by managing stress

Chapter 15: Personality Myers: pages 594 – 637  Assessment and analysis of four leading perspectives.  Psychoanalytic perspective: Freud and the unconscious mind; Neo-Freudian and Psychodynamic theorists Jung, Adler and Horney; use of projective tests  Humanistic perspective: Maslow & Rogers; assessing the self  Trait Perspective: Eysneck; factor analysis; biology and personality; personality inventories; MMPI – 2; the “Big Five”  Social-Cognitive perspective: Bandura, Seligman; reciprocal determinism; personal control; learned helplessness and optimism Fourth Quarter Chapter 16: Personality Disorders Myers: pages 639-683  Defining and classifying disorders: DSM-IV and labeling effects, prevalence  Biopsychosocial approach in evaluation, and assessment of risk  Anxiety Disorders: generalized, panic, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders  Dissociative Disorders: amnesia, fugue state, multiple personality disorder  Mood Disorders: depression and bipolar  Schizophrenia: paranoid, disorganized, catatonic and undifferentiated subtypes  Personality Disorders: antisocial personality Chapter 17: Therapy Myers: pages 685 – 721  Psychological Therapies: Psychoanalysis, Humanistic, Behavior, Cognitive, Group and Family Therapies  Evaluating Psychotherapies: comparing therapies; effectiveness, placebo effect  Biomedical Therapies: specific use and treatment utilizing, psychopharmacology, ECT, rTMS, and psychosurgery  Privacy Rights and ethics in the practice of therapy Review and Prep for AP Exam  Psychology AP Exam – Monday May 6, 2013 @ 12:00 noon.  If time allows there will be class review sessions to prepare for the AP exam.  Students not taking the AP exam (for any reason) will take a comprehensive final exam and complete an 12-14 page research paper to be assigned by the instructor.

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