AP Psychology Summer Project 2012
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12
Ms. Breault Rm. 219 ebreault1@pghboe.net
A summer project is a great way to prepare you for the course.
PART A:
Students will 1) Buy on line or borrow from the library a copy of Roger Hock’s book,
Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations Into the History of Psychological
Research 5th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-114729-3 Hock’s book is divided
into broad content areas and contains a compilation of significant articles written
during the twentieth century.
Students will 1) read the preface and the introduction to each of the book’s 10
sections. 2) They will also read and summarize 5 articles . (one article from 5
sections chosen by the teacher. See below for article titles.) Each article discusses a
specific historical study.
The summaries need to include a discussion of the research topic, the methods, the
results and any criticisms or later research done in the area.
3) Finally, students write a reflection comparing their view of the field of psychology
before they completed the readings and after. In this paper they discuss the studies
they found most surprising or interesting, and they address what they expect to
learn in the AP Psychology course.
This assignment is due on the first day of class and is worth 3 Test Grades. N.B. If
you have a different edition of Hock. Pick another study.
1) One Brain or Two? Gazzaniga, M.S. (1967). “The split brain in man”.
Scientific American, See p. 1-10 in Hock’s book.
2) What You See Is What You’ve Learned, Turnbull, C.M. (1961). “Some observations
regarding the experiences and behavior of the BaMbuti Pygmies, American Journal
of Psychology. See P. 35-41 in Hock’s book.
3) See Aggression … Do Aggression! Bandura, A., Rosss, D & Ross, S.A. (1961).
“Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models.” Journal of
Abnormal and Social Psychology. See p. 84-92 in Hock’s book.
4) Just How are You Intelligent? Gardner, H. (1983). “Frames of Mind: the theory of
multiple intelligences”. See P. 100-109 in Hock’s book.
5) Discovering Love! Harlow, H.F. (1958). “The nature of love”. American
Psychologist. See p. 126-133 in Hock’s book.
Part B:
Another excellent way to prepare for AP Psychology is to watch documentaries or
movies with psychology themes. Choose one of the following movies or
documentaries and write a summary. State how the film illustrates psychological
themes. Turn this response in on the first day of class. It is worth 1 Test Grade.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
A Beautiful Mind
Secret of the Wild Child
The Soloist
Awakenings
Sybil
As Good As It Gets
Bennie and Joon
Rainman
Memento
About Schmidt
The Manchurian Candidate 1962
Goodwill Hunting
Running with Scissors
See:
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/merrill/PSYCHOLOGY%20AND%20MOVIES.htm
for even more movies. Enjoy!