Welcome to the SPHS AP Psychology
Website
Course Syllabus (and corresponding textbook chapters)
Textbook = Myers Psychology, seventh edition
1. History and Approaches (Prologue of textbook, pages 1-17)
A. Philosophical & physiological roots of psychology
B. Major psychological approaches/perspectives/schools of psychology that have
evolved over the years: psychodynamic/psychoanalytic, behavioral,
biological/neuroscience, humanistic, cognitive, sociocultural, evolutionary, positive
psychology, etc…
C. Psychology’s subfields today: clinical, forensic, developmental, counseling, educational, etc…
2. Research Methods (chapter 1)
A. Psychology as a science & how to think critically like a psychologist
B. Methods of research: case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, correlational
studies, experiments, etc…
C. Experimental procedure
D. Ethics in research
E. Statistical analysis of research: mean, median, mode, variability,
normal/non-normal distributions, etc…
3. Biological Bases of Behavior (chapter 2)
A. Neural anatomy & communication
B. Divisions of the nervous system
C. The brain: anatomy of the brain, brain imaging techniques (ablation, electrical
stimulation, EEG, PET, MRI, etc.)
D. The endocrine system
4. Developmental Psychology (chapters 3 and 4)
A. The nature and nurture of behavior - behavior genetics psychology
B. Physical, cognitive, social, and moral development throughout the stages of life:
prenatal/newborn, infancy/childhood, adolescence, adulthood & old age…
C. Developmental theorists: Erikson, Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Vygotsky, etc…)
5. Sensation and Perception (chapters 5 and 6)
A. Sensation
1. Absolute thresholds & signal detection theory
2. Our senses: vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, balance & equilibrium…
B. Perception
1. Selective attention
2. Illusions
3. The role of experience, culture, & expectations on perception
6. States of Consciousness (chapter 7)
A. Sleep and dreams – REM and NREM sleep stages
B. Sleep disorders – night terrors, insomnia, narcolepsy, apnea, etc…
C. Hypnosis & meditation
D. Psychoactive drug effects – narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens…
7. Learning/Behavioral psychology (chapter 8)
A. Classical conditioning – Pavlov, Watson…
B. Operant conditioning – Skinner…
C. Observational learning – Bandura…
8. Cognition (chapters 9 & 10)
A. Memory (ch. 9)
1. Memory stages: encoding, storage, retrieval…
2. Types of memories
B. Thinking and language (ch. 10) – concept formation, problem-solving,
creativity, etc…
9. Intelligence and assessment (chapter 11)
A. Defining intelligence
B. The nature & nurture of intelligence
C. Designing intelligence tests that are standardized, reliable, valid, and
unbiased…
10. Motivation and Emotion (chapters 12 and 13)
A. Instincts, needs, & drives
B. Types of motivation: hunger, sex, belonging, achievement, etc…
C. Emotion
1. Theories of emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter-Singer, opponent-
process, etc…
2. Physiology & expression of emotion
3. Arousal & performance
11. Personality (chapter 15)
A. Theories: psychoanalytic, trait, humanistic, social-cognitive, etc.
B. Theorists: Adler, Allport, Bandura, Cattell, Eysenck, Freud, Jung, Mischel,
Rogers, etc…
C. Personality assessment: inventories, projective tests, etc.
12. Stress and Health (chapter 14)
A. Causes: dispositional & situational
B. Consequences: Hans Selye’s general-adaptation syndrome, health risks, etc.
C. Coping methods
13. Abnormal Psychology (chapter 16)
A. DSM-IV
B. Categories of psychological disorders: Anxiety, somatoform, dissociative,
mood, schizophrenia, personality, organic, childhood disorders…
14. Treatment and Therapy (chapter 17)
A. Psychotherapies: psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral,
cognitive…
B. Biological approaches: psychopharmacology, psychosurgery, ECT…
15. Social Psychology (chapter 18)
A. Attribution processes
B. Conformity and obedience
C. Prejudice & racism
D. Aggression
E. Attraction
F. Altruism
Course Purpose:
The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. The aim of this course is to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that obtained in most college introductory psychology courses. Most universities award college credit to any student scoring a 3 or higher on the AP exam in May.
The AP Examination:
The exam includes a 70-minute multiple-choice section that accounts for approximately 2/3 of the student’s exam grade and a 50-minute free-response section made up of two questions, which accounts for approximately 1/3 of the student’s exam grade. (Our 6-weeks examinations will be mini versions of the AP exam and will serve as great practice for the real thing.)
*All students are required to take the AP exam, which will be administered in May, 2009.
(date, time, & location t.b.a.)
A Word From Your Teacher:
I am very excited to have you joining me on what will be a challenging and fascinating journey into the coolest and most important subject matter of all – ourselves!
In order for you to be successful in this course and ensure that you are ready for the AP exam in May, you will only need to do four simple things:
1. Show up on time for class every day.
2. Pay attention in class every day.
3. Keep up with your assignments and read the corresponding chapters in your textbook.
4. Study frequently. Rehearsal leads to retention.
Note: The AP Psychology exam is considered one of the most passable of all AP exams. If you are reading this, you are capable of passing it and saving you/your parents a considerable amount of tuition money! I will do all that I can to ensure that you are prepared for the Exam in May. However, it is impossible for me to cover every single thing that might be on the Exam. Ultimately, your success or failure in May is up to you!
Three extremely helpful websites for students:
1. www.worthpublishers.com/myers/
2. www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
3. http://appsychology.com/
Remember, I am here for you. If there is anything that I can do to help you be more successful in this class, please do not hesitate to ask
Check this out!!!!! Get you some BIG RED chewing gum!!!!!
TEST ANXIETY? Cinnamon gum may be an aid to better cognitive performance, according to a study at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virgina as reported in Eating Well magazine. A test was designed to measure the effect of different odors on cognitive performance. Volunteers completed computer-based tasks while chewing one of four kinds of gum: flavorless, peppermint, cinnamon or cherry. Their performance was also compared to that of students who did not chew any gum. Both the act of chewing gum and the aroma of cinnamon proved unique at upping attentiveness, memory and coordination, the study found.
"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." - Eddie Robinson