AP® PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS ADDENDUM 2015-2016
Tammy Legg
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY EXAM: Monday, May 2nd, 2016 at noon
Textbook/Resources:
Myers, David G. Psychology. New York, Worth Publishing, 2010. 2007.
Dear Student:
Welcome to AP Psychology! It’s my pleasure to help you obtain Advanced Placement Credit for
Psychology. The main goal of this course is to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that
obtained in a college introductory psychology course.
This is a college level course that uses a college level textbook. You will be treated as responsible
intellectuals and I expect you to be serious about learning what psychology is all about. Students will be
expected to come to class prepared for the day’s lesson or exam, participate in class activities and discussions,
and turn in all work on time. Organization, respect, attendance and responsibility are crucial for success in this
class. You must follow the reading schedule and be sure to stay with the class. I expect you to outline each
chapter as you read and complete notes and assignments accordingly. Class time will complement the
readings and assignments, so careful and timely reading is the foundation to your success.
Tammy C. Legg
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. 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 Description
The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and
mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students
explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the
biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental
psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology.
Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations, as
they use the scientific method, analyze bias, evaluate claims and evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.
Course Objectives
All students will be able to:
 Distinguish between the major core concepts and theories of psychology.
 Utilize key terms and use them in their everyday vocabulary.
 Demonstrate mastery of the explorations and discoveries made by psychologists over the past century.
 Assess diverse approaches to psychology that are adopted by psychologists, including biological,
behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and socio-cultural perspectives.
 Show basic skills of psychological research and be able to apply psychological concepts to their own
lives through critical thinking skills.
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Assessments
Includes cumulative tests, quizzes, and comprehensive midterm and final exams. Exams model the format of
the AP Psychology Exam, with a combination of multiple-choice and free-response essays at the end of each
chapter or unit. Quizzes can emphasize multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, free-response
essays, or labeling diagrams/fill-in-the-blank questions. All students are encouraged to participate in review
sessions to prepare for the AP Psychology Exam.
Readings are assigned each week with notes to be completed for each chapter, covering both chapter material
and vocabulary. Other assignments given to students are Psych Simulation activities, experiments, class
presentations, collaborative projects, individual projects, online activities and papers. These assignments vary
with each unit. The midterm exam will include the content covered in the first semester and the final exam will
cover everything from the entire year. It will consist of multiple choice and free-response essays in AP
Psychology Format.
Projects
Throughout the year, a variety of projects will be assigned, including individual and team projects,
mini-projects, and other more complex projects. Some projects will have required presentations to
show student knowledge of the topic. An original research project will also be required in order to
enable student understanding, awareness and involvement in scientific research.
Order of Units of Study
TERM 1: Topics/Themes
1. Story of Psychology
2. History
3. Historic Approaches
4. Contemporary Approaches
5. Research Methods/Thinking
Critically with Psychological
Science
6. The Need for Psychological Science
7. Description
8. Correlation
9. Experimentation
10. Statistical Reasoning
11. Testing
12. Nature Vs. Nurture
13. Genes/Biological Bases of Behavior
14. Evolutionary Psychology
15. Behavior Genetics
16. Environmental Influence
17. Gender
18. Neuroscience and Behavior
19. Neural Communication
20. The Nervous System
21. The Brain
22. The Endocrine System
23. Developmental Psychology & the
Life Span
24. Prenatal Development and the
Newborn
25. Infancy and Childhood
26. Adolescence
27. Adulthood
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TERM 2: Topics
1. Memory
2. Encoding
3. Storage
4. Retrieval
5. Forgetting
6. Sensation
7. Basic Principles
8. Vision
9. Hearing
10. Senses
11. Perception
12. Attention
13. Illusions
14. Interpretation
15. ESP
16. States of Consciousness
17. Waking Consciousness
18. Sleep and Dreams
19. Hypnosis
20. Drugs and Consciousness
(Depressants, Stimulants, and
Hallucinogens)
21. Learning
22. Classical Conditioning
23. Operant Conditioning
24. Learning by Observation
TERM 3: Topics
1. Thinking and Language
2. Cognition
3. Thinking
4. Language
5. Animal Thinking and Language
6. Intelligence
7. Intelligence Testing
8. Assessing Intelligence
9. Genetic and Environmental
Influences
10. Motivation and Work
11. Motivational Concepts
12. Hunger
13. Sexual Motivation
14. The Need to Belong
15. Motivation at Work
16. Emotion
17. Theories of Emotion
18. Embodied Emotion
19. Expressed Emotion
20. Experienced Emotion
21. Stress and Health
22. Stress and Illness
23. Promoting Health
24. Personality
25. Historic Perspectives on
Personality
26. Contemporary Research on
Personality
27. Individual Differences
28. Psychological Disorders
29. Perspectives disorders
30. Anxiety Disorders
31. Mood Disorders
32. Schizophrenia
33. Personality Disorders
34. Abnormal Psychology
35. Therapy and Treatment
TERM 4: Topics
1. Social Psychology
2. Social Thinking
3. Social Influence
4. Social Relations
AP REVIEW/PREPARATION
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