AP Psychology Syllabus
Course Description and Goals
The goal of this course is to increase the understanding of psychology, it's methods, theory and research. The course will explore the psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within Psychology. It is hoped that knowledge of psychological inquiry will provide students with a way of perceiving aspects of the world around, insights into behavior and an appreciation of the complexity of human behavior. The course is taught at an advanced level for the college-bound student. Student study habits and participation should reflect this fact. Students may choose to take the AP Exam in May, earning credit, advanced placement, or both to those performing satisfactorily on the exam.
Text: Psychology (8th ED)
David B. Myers
Supplementary Readings: Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial
Psychological Issues
Selected articles from psychological journals
Recommended books on Psychology, at least one
per semester.
Forty Studies That Changed Psychology
` Roger R. Hock
Units and Reading Assignments
Unit 1 Methods, Approaches and History
Myers Ch 1
Articles: Animals in Research
Research Through Deception
Unit 2 Biological Bases of Behavior
Myers Ch 2
Articles: A Pleasurable Chemistry
New Connections (Neurons)
Unit 3 Developmental Psychology
Myers Ch 3 & 4
Articles: The Amazing Minds of Infants
Double Mystery
Major Personality Traits
The Thunder Years
Unit 4 Sensation and Perception
Myers Ch 5 & 6
Article: The Mind's Eye
Unit 5 States of Consciousness
Myers Ch 7
Articles: The Mysteries of Sleep and Dreams
Unit 6 Learning
Myers Ch 8
Articles: Embattled Giant of Psychology Speaks His Mind
The Town That B.F. Skinner Boxed
Unit 7 Memory
Myers Ch 9
Articles: Our Dual Memories
Unit 8 Cognition
Myers Ch 10 (Thinking and Language)
Ch 11 (Intelligence)
Articles: The Civilizing of Genie
Is the Brain's Mind a Computer?
Unit 9 Motivation and Emotion
Myers Ch 12 & 13
Articles: Happy Outside, Sad Inside
Bulimarexia
Ch. 14 Managing Stress and Living Longer
Unit 10 Personality
Ch 15
Supplementary readings will be related to various inventories students will be taking
such as the Myers - Briggs Type Indicator
Unit 11 Abnormal Psychology
Myers Ch 16
Articles: Related Case Studies
Unit 12 Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Myers Ch 17
Articles: A melancholy Breach
Unit 13 Social Psychology
Myers 18
Articles: Influence: Science and Practice
Cialdini
Class Requirements:
- - Successful completion of the required 13 units of study
- - Completion of selected research and experimental designs
- - Participation on a debate team
- - Read all the supplementary readings, completing assigned reviews of each
- - Read at least two books from the AP Bibliography
- - Successful performance on chapter test, ( Multiple Choice questions)
- - Successful performance on Unit test ( Timed Essay Questions)
- - Participation in the annual Psychology Fair which is open to school and community.
Students must make up missed work within 3 day of initial absence
When you are absent it is your responsibility to get missed assignments and readings.
You may do this by visiting my website at http://www.shipleypsychnews.com
or seeing me upon returning to school
Grading Policy
Students earn a designated number of points each 9 weeks.
Multiple choice test and timed essay test are weighted twice, with daily assignments being weighted once. Points are also assigned for special 9 week projects,
research designs, book reviews, etc. For instance, the first 9 weeks, there might be 700 possible points. If a student earns 90% or above of those points, (630) he/she would earn an A.
The grading scale is as follows:
A 88-100
B 80-87
C 70-79
D 65-69
F 64
‘I' An "I" may be assigned if the student has pending assignments or test
An "I" must be made up within nine weeks of the end of the grading pd.