Vincent Massey Collegiate
Advanced Placement Course in Introductory Psychology (PSY 42S)
Teacher: Mrs. Carla McMurray
Phone: 204 453 8023 Ext 5032
Website: http://mcmurrayvmc.weebly.com/ Email: cmcmurray@pembinatrails.ca
Twitter: @mcmurrayvmc
Remind 101: email to apmcmurray@mail.remind.com or (204) 800-5926 message @apmcmurray
“The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the
behaviour 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.”
(The AP College Board 2015)
Course Objectives:
 To develop an understanding and appreciation of the nature of psychology
 To develop an understanding of the five psychological domains: Methods, Biopsychological,
Developmental, Cognitive, and Variations in Individual and Group Behaviour
 To promote critical thinking, problem solving and writing skills
 To prepare students for the AP Psychology Exam
Assessment Practices:
Evaluation includes the following: research and writing assignments, objective tests, assignments, class
participation, project work and examinations.
Students strive for achievement for two overall results in this course:
1.
By writing the AP Examination in Psychology in May 2016, students will receive a grade from the
College Board, AP Program. Although this examination is written in May, students generally
receive results in mid-July. This examination is graded on a 5-point scale (5 is the highest) and it
is a comprehensive examination comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions and two free
response questions.
2.
By taking Psychology students also work towards a high school credit in Psychology (Psychology
42S).
To receive a high school credit students will be graded as follows:
Semester mark, valued at 70%, will be based on chapter tests, assignments, computer laboratory exercises,
journal entries, and presentations. Final exam valued at 30% of the final grade.
Texts:
Myers, David G. (2009) PSYCHOLOGY (ninth edition). New York: Worth Publishers.
Straub, Richard O. (2009) DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY: A GUIDE TO ACTIVE STUDY (ninth edition). New
York: Worth Publishers. (To accompany David G. Myers’ Psychology.)
Worth Publishers Website: http://www.worthpublishers.com/myers9e
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Course Outline:
Unit I: Methods Domain
2 weeks
A.
History and Approaches (Prologue)
B.
Research Methods (Chapter 1)
Learning Outcomes:
 To define psychology and trace the history of psychology as a discipline.
 To describe the different perspectives from which psychologists examine behaviour and mental
processes as well as its most important subfields.
 To describe the important characteristics of the scientific approach and show how it promotes
critical thinking.
 To show how psychologists use three basic research methods: description, correlation, and
experimentation.
 To explain how psychologists use statistics in their research.
 To discuss the ethics of animal and human research.
TEST1: Monday, September 21: History and Approaches (Prologue) and Research Methods (Ch1)
Unit II: Biopsychological Domain
A.
Neuroscience and Behaviour (Chapter 2)
B.
Sensation and Perception (Chapter 6)
C.
Motivation and Work (Chapter 11)
D.
Emotions, Stress and Health (Chapter 12)
4 weeks
Chapter 2 Learning Outcomes:
 To describe the structure of neurons and explain how they communicate.
 To discuss the nature of the nervous system and endocrine system.
 To identify the structures of the brain and discuss their respective functions.
Chapter 6 Learning Outcomes:
 To introduce some basic principles of sensation.
 To discuss the visual and auditory process.
 To show how illusions help us understand perception.
 To describe the basic principles of perceptual organization and how factors shape our perceptual
interpretations
Test 2: Tuesday, October 13: Biological Bases of Behavior (Ch 2) and Sensation/Perception (Ch 6)
Social Psychology (Unit 4) Chapter 16 Learning Outcomes:
 To introduce attribution theory and research on the relationship between attitudes and action.
 To present the literature on social influence as well as on the power of the person.
 To describe the major findings on prejudice, aggression, and social conflict.
 To explore factors that contribute to attraction, altruism, and peacemaking.
QUIZ #1: Wednesday, October 21st Social Psychology (Ch 16)
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Chapter 12 Learning Outcomes:
 To present the major theories and dimensions of emotion.
 To describe the physiology of emotion, and to examine the effectiveness of the polygraph.
 To present research on emotional expression.
 To discuss our experiences of fear, anger, and happiness.
 To introduce health psychology and identify some of its key concerns.
 To discuss the nature of stress and explain its relationship to illness.
 To present effective health-maintenance strategies.
Chapter 11 Learning Outcomes:
 To present basic concepts of motivation.
 To discuss the basis of hunger and to describe the major eating disorders.
 To discuss sexual motivation, including the dynamics of sexual orientation.
 To describe how industrial/organizational psychology applies psychology’s principles to the
workplace.
Test 3: Friday, October 30th Emotions, Stress and Health (Ch 12) and Motivation (Ch 11)
Unit III: Developmental Domain
3 weeks
A.
Nature, Nurture and Human Diversity (Chapter 4)
B.
Developing Through the Lifespan (Chapter 5)
C.
Personality (Chapter 13) Covered in Unit 4 (Quiz in January)
Chapter 4 Learning Outcomes:
 To describe how evolutionary psychologists seek to explain our universal behaviors.
 To explain how behavior geneticists weigh genetic and environmental contributions to our various
traits.
 To discuss the role of prenatal environments, early experiences, peer influences, and cultures.
Chapter 5 Learning Outcomes:
 To trace the course of prenatal development.
 To discuss the course of physical, cognitive, and social development in infancy, childhood, and
adolescence.
 To describe physical, cognitive, and social changes in adulthood.
Test 4: Tuesday, November 17th Nature Nurture (Ch 4), Development (Ch 5)
Unit IV: Cognitive Domain
A.
Learning (Chapter 7)
B.
Memory (Chapter 8)
C.
Thinking and Language (Chapter 9)
D.
Intelligence (Chapter 10)
E.
States of Consciousness (Chapter 3)
3 weeks
Chapter 7 Learning Outcomes:
 To present the principles and processes involved in classical conditioning.
 To present the principles and processes involved in operant conditioning.
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
To describe the nature of observational learning and the impact of both positive and negative
models.
Chapter 8 Learning Outcomes:
 To introduce memory as an information-processing system, and to describe how we encode
information.
 To discuss the nature of storage and retrieval.
 To describe forgetting and memory construction.
 To present some strategies for improving memory.
Test 5: Monday, December 1 Learning (Ch7) Memory (Ch 8)
Chapter 9 Learning Outcomes:
 To explore how we construct concepts, solve problems, make decisions, and form judgments.
 To describe language structure and development.
 To discuss the relationship between thought and language.
Chapter 10 Learning Outcomes:
 To trace the history of intelligence testing, and to introduce contemporary views on the nature of
intelligence.
 To describe the principles of test construction.
 To describe the stability of intelligence across the life span and to present extremes of intelligence.
 To discuss genetic and environmental determinants of intelligence.
Test 6: Tuesday, December 15 Thinking and Language (Ch 9) and Intelligence (Ch 10)
Chapter 3 Learning Outcomes: (NOTE: this chapter will be done on your own)
 To identify levels of information processing and the content and functions of daydreams.
 To discuss the nature of biological rhythms, including the sleep cycle, and to describe the nature
and functions of dreams.
 To discuss the nature of hypnosis.
 To identify the effects of various drugs.
Unit V: Variations in Individual and Group Behaviour Domain
3 weeks
A.
Psychological Disorders (Chapter 14)
B.
Therapy (Chapter 15)
C.
Social Psychology (Chapter 16)…covered in Unit 2 in October.
Personality will be covered in this Unit instead
Chapter 14 Learning Outcomes:
 To introduce the different perspectives on psychological disorders, and to discuss the controversy
surrounding the use of diagnostic labels.
 To describe the most prevalent disorders, and to examine their possible causes.
 To describe the prevalence of the different psychological disorders.
Chapter 15 Learning Outcomes:
 To present the major psychotherapies and to evaluate their effectiveness.
 To describe the biomedical therapies.
 To introduce the rationale and strategy of preventative mental health.
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Test 7: Friday January 8 Psychological Disorders (Ch 14) Therapy (Ch 15)
Personality: Chapter 13 Learning Outcomes:
 To describe the psychoanalytic perspective on personality, and to discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of Freud’s ideas.
 To introduce and evaluate the humanistic perspective.
 To present the trait perspective, and to discuss the consistency of behavior over time and across
situations.
 To describe the social-cognitive perspective, including recent research on personal control, learned
helplessness, and optimism.
QUIZ 2: Personality (Ch13) Friday, January 15
Final Exam Review: January 18 - January 27
Final Exam date: (TBA) during exam week
Students will receive a 42S VMC credit in Advanced Placement Psychology upon successful completion of
this course. Students also have the choice of writing the College Board’s Advanced Placement Psychology
Exam on May 2, 2016. This exam includes a 70-minute multiple choice section that accounts for two-thirds
of the exam grade and a 50-minute free-response section made up of two essay questions that accounts
for one-third of the exam grade. This exam is written in the library at Vincent Massey. The cost of writing
the exam (approximately $90.00) will be covered by the school board for each student. Students must
make a commitment as to whether they will be writing this exam by filling out a form that will be given to
each student in early January 2016.
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2015-2016 Test Schedule:
Tests are tailored to the AP format with 50 multiple-choice questions and one free response (essay
question). The multiple choice section counts as two-thirds of the total test score and the free-response
section (essay question) counts as one-third of the total test score. Out of the 7 tests, the lowest test
score will be dropped. If a test is missed, that test will count as the dropped test. There will also be 2
quizzes, 25 marks each.
Test 1: Monday, September 21
History and Approaches (Prologue) and Research Methods (Chapter 1)
Test 2: Tuesday, October 13
Biological Bases of Behavior (Chapter 2) and Sensation/Perception (Chapter 6)
QUIZ 1: Wednesday October, 21
Social Psychology
Test 3: Friday, October 30
Social Psychology (Chapter 16) and Emotions, Stress and Health (Chapter 12)
Test 4: Tuesday, November 17th
Nature Nurture (Chapter 4), Development (Chapter 5)
Test 5: Tuesday, December 1
Learning (Chapter7) Memory (Chapter 8)
Test 6: Tuesday, December 15
Thinking and Language (Ch 9) and Intelligence (Ch 10)
Test 7: Friday, January 8
Psychological Disorders (Chapter 14) and Therapy (Chapter 15)
QUIZ 2: Friday, January 15
Personality (CH13)
All students are expected to write each test at its scheduled time. If there is a legitimate reason why a
student is unable to do this, it is that student’s responsibility to inform the teacher. A missed test will
then be written on the day of the student’s return DURING THE LUNCH HOUR and NOT during class time.
Dishonesty, especially in the form of cheating, will result in an immediate zero and phone call to home.
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Welcome to the AP® Program
Overview
For over 50 years, the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP) has partnered with colleges,
universities, and high schools to provide students with the opportunity to take university-level course work
and exams while still in high school. AP provides motivated and academically prepared students with the
opportunity to earn university credit or placement.
AP courses help students develop the study skills, habits of mind, and critical thinking skills that they will
need in university. AP courses are for students who are willing to accept the challenge of a rigorous
academic curriculum.
AP Exams
Each AP course has a corresponding exam that participating schools worldwide administer in May. Each AP
exam contains a free-response section (essays) as well as multiple-choice questions. The AP Exam is the
culmination of the AP course and provides students with the opportunity to earn credit and-or placement
in university. Exams are scored by college/university professors and experienced AP teachers using scoring
standards developed by the committee.
AP Exam Grades
The exam score on the free-response questions are combined with the results of the computer-scored
multiple-choice questions; the weighted raw scores are summed to give a composite score. The composite
score is then converted to a grade on AP’s 5-point scale:
AP Grade Qualification
5 Extremely well qualified…equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college or university course.
4 Well qualified… equivalent to B grades in the corresponding college or university course.
3 Qualified …no credit given
2 Possibly qualified…no credit given
1 No recommendation…no credit given
Note: Most universities in Canada and the United States will give students a university full credit (6 credit
hours) for Introductory Psychology if they score a 4 or a 5 on the AP exam in May. Scores lower than a 4 in
Canada will not earn students a university credit. The University of Manitoba follows these guidelines
however the University of Winnipeg will only offer the students placement instead of a credit if students
score a 4 or a 5. This means that the U of W students will be able to take second year psychology courses in
their first year and U of M students will not only be able to take second year psychology courses in their first
year but will also receive a Psychology credit. This applies only to students who score a 4 or a 5 on the AP
exam.
Source: 2014 The College Board
More information about the AP Program is available at AP Central: www.collegboard.com
Advanced Placement Examination: Monday, May 2, 2016 at noon in the Upper Library at VMC
NOTE: Noon hour study sessions will begin at the end of February, 2016 for those students who will be
writing the College Board AP exam in May. Students must make a commitment to attend and work in the
study sessions as well as studying at home to prepare for the exam.
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