BAA Psychology 11
District Name: Delta School District
District Number: 37
Developed by: Dhana Matthews
Date Developed: November 2004
School Name: Seaquam Secondary School
Principal’s Name: David Fisher
Board Authority/Approval Date: March 1, 2005
Board Authority/Approval Signature:
Course Name: Psychology 11
Grade Level: 11
Number of Credits: 4
Hours of Instruction: 110 – 120 hours
Prerequisites: (Recommended) none, although concurrent enrolment in Biology 11 is helpful
Special Training, Facilities or Equipment Required:
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access to a computer lab, a TV and a VCR
the teacher or instructor should have a degree or background in psychology
Course Synopsis:
Psychology 11 is designed to ignite curiosity in students for psychology’s many relevant findings about
why people do the things they do and think the way they think. It is the study of human behaviour and the
mind. It provides a foundation for students wanting to satisfy a growing curiosity about themselves, their
families, their friends and the world around them.
Learning outcomes for this course are grouped under the curriculum domains:
• Psychology and its Methods Domain
• Developmental Domain
• Biopsychological Domain
• Cognitive Domain
• Sociocultural Domain
Students will be encouraged to think critically and analytically about behaviour and understand commonly
held myths. They will bring the basic and applied concepts of psychology to life by applying scientific
principles to real world problems.
Rationale:
Psychology 11 is intended to help adolescent learners to understand themselves and others. Psychology
students learn to describe, predict, understand, and influence behaviour and mental processes. Students
enrolled in this course learn more systematic strategies for reading, studying, remembering information
and test taking; as a result, enrollment in this course may enhance students’ performance in other
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academic studies and prepare them for post secondary studies. This course is based on the content of
the American Psychological Association’s National High School Psychology Standards, as many students
in this course will go on to write the Advanced Placement Psychology exam.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:
Unit/Topic
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3
4
5
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10
11
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Title
Introduction and Research Methods
Biological Bases of Behaviour
Sensation and Perception
Motivation and Emotion
Stress, Coping and Health
Lifespan Development
Learning
Memory
Thinking and Language
States of Consciousness
Individual Differences
Personality and Assessment
Psychological Disorders
Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Social Psychology
Time
Total Hours
Unit 1: Introduction and Research Methods (Methods Domain)
11 hrs.
9 hrs.
9 hrs.
8 hrs.
5 hrs.
8 hrs.
8 hrs.
5 hrs.
5 hrs.
7 hrs.
6 hrs.
7 hrs.
8 hrs.
7 hrs.
8 hrs.
111
Time: Approx. 11 hours
Introduction and Research Methods defines the science of psychology, describes its history, identifies the
methods for examining behaviour and mental processes, and reviews scientific careers available in the
discipline.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
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Contemporary perspectives used by psychologists to understand behaviour and mental
processes in context
Major subfields and career opportunities that comprise psychology
Research strategies used by psychologists to explore behaviour and mental processes
Purpose and basic concepts of statistics
Ethical issues in research with human and other animals that are important to psychologists
Development of psychology as an empirical science
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Describe and compare the biological, behavioural, cognitive and sociocultural perspectives
• List and explain the major subfields in psychology
• Describe and compare quantitative and qualitative research strategies
• Explain and describe measures of central tendency
• Describe the concept of correlation and explain how it is used in psychology
• Identify ethical issues in psychological research
• Discuss psychology’s roots in philosophy and science
• Describe the emergence of experimental psychology
• Describe the elements of an experiment
• Define descriptive statistics
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
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Analyze the role of ethics in research and professional practice
Evaluate the effectiveness of the experimental technique
Determine the importance of sampling in psychological research
Assess and explain the use of descriptive statistics in psychology
Assess and explain the use of inferential statistics in psychological research
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe psychology’s increasing inclusiveness of diverse interests and constituents
Unit 2: Biological Bases of Behaviour ( Biopsychological Domain)
Time: Approx. 9 hours
Synopsis: Biological Bases of Behaviour addresses how the brain processes information and how the
body adapts to the demands of the environment.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• The structure and function of the neuron
• Organization of the nervous system
• Hierarchical organization of the structure and function of the brain
• Technologies and clinical methods for studying the brain
• Specialized functions of the brain’s hemispheres
• Structure and function of the endocrine system
• How heredity interacts with the environment to influence behaviour
• How psychological mechanisms are influenced by evolution
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Identify the role of the neuron in neural communications
• Describe how information is transmitted and integrated in the nervous system
• Classify the major divisions and subdivisions of the nervous system
• Differentiate the functions of the various subdivisions of the nervous system
• Identify the structure and function of the major regions of the brain
• Compare and contrast the influence on brain function between the left and right hemispheres
• Describe how the endocrine glands are linked to the nervous system
• Explain how research and technology have provided methods to analyze brain behaviour and
disease
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Examine the effect of heredity and environment on the process of neurotransmission
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Assess the effects of heredity and environment on behaviour
• Explain how evolved tendencies interact with the present environment and culture to determine
behaviour
Unit 3: Sensation and Perception ( Biopsychological Domain)
Time: Approx. 9 hours
Synopsis: Sensation and Perception examines how the brain makes meaning out of the physical
sensations generated by the environment.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Basic concepts explaining the capabilities and limitations of sensory processes
• Interaction of the person and the environment in determining perception
• Nature of attention
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Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Explain the concepts of threshold, adaptation and constancy
• Describe the operation of sensory systems
• List forms of energy for which we do and do not have sensory receptors
• Explain Gestalt concepts and principles such as figure-ground, continuity, similarity, proximity,
and closure
• Describe binocular and monocular depth cues
• Explain what is meant by attention
• Describe how attention differs for demanding versus simple tasks
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Suggest how knowledge of sensory processes can be applied in areas such as engineering
psychology, advertising, music, and architecture
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe the influence on perception of environmental variables, motivations, past experiences,
culture and expectations
Unit 4: Motivation and Emotion ( Biopsychological Domain)
Time: Approx. 8 hours
Synopsis: Motivation and Emotion examines the drives and needs that direct behaviour, including sex,
thirst, hunger, and social needs, as well as the range of human emotions. This unit also explores how we
perceive the social world and how we behave in relation to other people.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Motivational concepts
• Biological and environmental cues instigating basic drives or motives
• Interaction of biological and cultural factors in the development of motives
• Role of values and expectances in determining choice and strength of motivation
• Major theories of motivation
• Physiological, affective, cognitive and behavioural aspects of emotions and the interactions
among these aspects
• Effects of motivation and emotion on perception, cognition, and behaviour.
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Describe the interaction of internal cues and environmental cues determining motivation derived
from basic drives
• Describe the situational cues giving rise to anger and fear
• Describe the situational cues and individual characteristics giving rise to curiosity and anxiety
• Describe one or more theories of motivation, such as expectancy-value, cognitive dissonance,
arousal, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and drive reduction
• Explain how common motives develop
• Describe theories of emotion such as James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, or cognitive theories
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Apply motivational concepts to the behaviour of humans and other animals
• Apply expectancy-value theory to their own and others’ behaviour
• Assess how learning, memory, problem-solving and decision making are influenced by motivation
and emotion
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Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe differences in perception between individuals differing in motivation
Unit 5: Stress, Coping and Health (Biopsychological Domain)
Time: Approx. 5 hours
Synopsis: Stress, Coping and Health identifies how stress reactions hinder our effectiveness and
proposes alternatives that lead to a healthier existence.
After concluding this unit, students will understand:
• Sources of stress
• Physiological reactions to stress
• Psychological reactions to stress
• Cognitive and behavioural strategies for dealing with stress and promoting health
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Identify and explain major sources of stress
• List and explain possible physiological reactions to stress
• List and explain possible psychological reactions to stress
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Suggest and evaluate cognitive strategies to deal with stress and promote health
• Suggest and evaluate behavioural strategies to deal with stress and promote health
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Examine cultural differences in the identification of sources of stress
• Compare and contrast strategies to cope with stress across cultures
Unit 6: Lifespan Development (Developmental Domain)
Time: Approx. 8 hours
Synopsis: Lifespan Development examines how nature and nurture influence our development from
conception until death.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Development as a lifelong process
• Research techniques used to gather data on the developmental process
• Stage theories of development
• Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture, continuity/stages,
stability/instability, critical periods)
• Impact of technology on aspects of the lifespan
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Describe physical, social and cognitive changes from the prenatal period throughout the lifespan
• Identify the complex cognitive structures found in the early development of infants and young
children
• Explain the distinguishing characteristics of the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods of study
• Outline the stages of a developmental theory by theorists such as Piaget, Erikson, Kohler,
Gilligan, Cross, Helms and so on
• Describe the role of critical periods in development
• Explain the issues of continuity/discontinuity and stability/instability in development
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Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Examine the nature of change over the lifespan
• Apply lifespan principles to personal experience
• Evaluate the influence of technology on quality of life
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Examine the development of ethnic identity
• Explore developmental theories as they relate to cultural bias
Unit 7: Learning (Cognitive Domain)
Time: Approx. 8 hours
Synopsis: Learning demonstrates how we make changes in our behaviour through experience with the
environment, usually focusing on classical conditioning, instrumental learning, and cognitive learning.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Characteristics of learning
• Principles of classical conditioning
• Principles of operant conditioning
• Components of cognitive learning
• Roles of biology and culture in determining learning
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Discuss learning from a psychological viewpoint
• Describe the classical conditioning paradigm
• Describe the operant conditioning paradigm
• Explain how observational learning works
• Describe cognitive learning approaches
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Justify the idea that learning as a vehicle to promote adaptation through experience
• Suggest and evaluate biological contributions to learning
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Speculate on the role of culture in determining what behaviour will be learned
• Explore how biological and cultural factors interact to impede or enhance learning
• Describe the collaborative nature of some forms of learning within cultures
Unit 8: Memory (Cognitive Domain)
Time: Approx. 5 hours
Synopsis: Memory addresses how we remember as well as how we can improve memory.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Encoding, or getting information into memory
• Short-term and long-term memory systems
• Retrieval, or getting information out of memory
• Biological bases of memory
• Methods for improving memory
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Characterize the difference between surface and deep (elaborate) processing
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Identify other factors that influence encoding
Describe the operations of short-term memory
Describe the operations of long-term memory
Relate difficulties created by reconstructive memory processes
Explain the role that interference plays in retrieval
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Analyze the importance of retrieval cues in memory
• Specify the brain structures most important to memory
• Suggest factors that interfere with memory
• Generate and evaluate strategies for improving memory
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Examine cultural differences in memory and forgetting
Unit 9: Thinking and Language (Cognitive Domain)
Time: Approx. 5 hours
Synopsis: Thinking and Language examines the role of language, problem-solving skills, creativity,
multilingualism and intelligence testing as primary interests of researchers in this area.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Basic elements comprising thought
• Strategies and obstacles involved in problem solving and decision making
• Structural features of language
• Theories and developmental stages of language acquisition
• Links between thinking and language
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Define thinking as a mental process involved in the manipulation and understanding of
information
• Recognize that information is classified into categories containing similar properties known as
concepts
• Identify problem solving as a directed and productive example of thinking
• Explain the use of creative thinking in problem solving
• Define language as symbols and sounds that convey meaning and facilitate communication
• Recognize that language is organized in a hierarchical structure
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Analyze the obstacles that inhibit problem solving and decision making
• Assess the effects of development on language acquisition
• Evaluate theories of language acquisition
• Speculate on whether animals acquire and use language
• Examine the influence on language on thought and behaviour
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe the influence of gender and culture on thought and language development
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Unit 10: States of Consciousness ( Cognitive Domain)
Time: Approx.7 hours
Synopsis: States of Consciousness explores varying stages of awareness, including sleep, reactions to
drugs, daydreaming and controlled conscious processes.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Characteristics of sleep and theories that explain why we sleep
• Theories used to explain and interpret dreams
• Basic phenomena and uses of hypnosis
• Categories of psychoactive drugs and their effects
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Describe the NREM – REM sleep cycle
• Compare theories that explain why we sleep
• Describe several hypnotic phenomena
• Characterize the major categories of psychoactive drugs and their effects
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Compare different theories about the use and meaning of dreams
• Assess types of sleep disorders
• Evaluate the effects of narcotic, depressant, stimulant and hallucinogenic drugs
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of individual differences in dream content and recall
Unit 11: Individual Differences (Sociocultural Domain)
Time: Approx. 6 hours
Synopsis: Individual Differences focuses on how psychologists measure and compare individuals’ abilities
and characteristics. This unit emphasizes test construction, text selection appropriate to the context, and
objective, fair-minded interpretation in determining the validity and reliability of intelligence tests.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Concepts related to measurement of individual differences
• Influence and interaction of heredity and environment on individual differences
• Nature of intelligence
• Nature of intelligence testing
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Define and understand the nature of test constructs such as intelligence, creativity and
personality
• Describe basic statistical concepts in testing
• Describe how intelligence changes over time
• Describe theories of intelligence
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Analyze how biological and environmental factors influence personality and intelligence
• Examine how intelligence influences the use of cognitive skills and strategies
• Assess the validity of using intelligence tests to predict achievement
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
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Discuss how intelligence tests reflect differences among people
Explain the limitations of using conventional intelligence tests
Unit 12: Personality and Assessment (Sociocultural Domain)
Time: Approx. 7 hours
Synopsis: Personality and Assessment demonstrates scientific explanations of personality development
along with the methods psychologists use to measure personality concepts.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• What is meant by personality and personality constructs
• Personality approaches and theories
• Assessment tools used in personality
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Define personality as the individual’s unique way of thinking, feeling and acting
• Explain the characteristics of the psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic and trait
psychologists
• Distinguish between objective and projective techniques of personality assessment
• Describe tests used in personality assessment
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Assess whether or not personality constructs provide an adequate framework for organizing
behavioural phenomena
• Assess important contributions to the understanding of personality
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe how cultural variations in the concept of the “self” affect the study of personality
Unit 13: Psychological Disorders (Sociocultural Domain)
Time: Approx. 8 hours
Synopsis: Psychological Disorders investigates patterns of behaviour that are considered deviant or
distressful in our culture, and includes how psychologists diagnose these patterns.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Characteristics and origins of abnormal behaviour
• Methods used in exploring abnormal behaviour
• Major categories of abnormal behaviour
• Impact of mental disorders
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Distinguish the common characteristics of abnormal behaviour
• Cite examples of abnormal behaviour
• Describe major explanations for the origins of abnormality
• Identify the purpose of different research methods
• Describe major categories of abnormal behaviour
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Assess judgements of abnormality based on the contexts in which those judgements occur
• Evaluate different research methods for studying abnormal behaviour based on their advantages
and limitations
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Suggest challenges to accurate diagnosis in society today
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Consider factors that influence vulnerability to abnormal behaviour
• Discuss the stigma associated with abnormal behaviour
• Speculate about means for promoting greater understanding of abnormal behaviour
Unit 14: Treatment of Psychological Disorders (Sociocultural Domain)
Time: Approx.7 hours
Synopsis: Treatment of Psychological Disorders discusses the various intervention methods, including
psychotherapy and medical interventions, that mental health practitioners use in treating abnormal
conditions.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Prominent methods used to treat people with disorders
• Types of practitioners who implement treatment
• Legal and ethical challenges involved in delivery of treatment
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Describe availability and appropriateness of various modes of treatment for people with
psychological disorders
• Identify therapists according to training
• Describe strategies for locating appropriate therapists
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Evaluate therapy options based on the characteristics of effective treatment and prevention
• Analyze how the intersection between mental health and law impacts treatment of individuals
suffering from psychological disorders
• Examine the influence of law on the practice of psychotherapy
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Describe the similarities and differences in therapies across cultures
• Examine the five major concerns for women in therapy
• Discuss the controversies surrounding deinstitutionalization and involuntary commitment
Unit 15: Social Psychology (Sociocultural Domain)
Time: Approx. 8 hours
Synopsis: Social Psychology explores how we perceive the social world and how we behave in relation to
other people. This unit also explores how social and cultural contexts influence behaviour.
After concluding this unit students will understand:
• Social judgements and attitudes
• Social and cultural categories
• Group processes
• Social influence
Curriculum Organizer: Basic Content Understanding
Students will be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of person perception
• Describe how attributions affect our explanations of behaviour
• Identify sources of attitude formation
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Describe the circumstances under which conformity and obedience are likely to occur
Discuss the nature of altruism in society
Curriculum Organizer: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning
Students will be able to:
• Assess some methods used to change attitudes
• Explore the nature of bias and discrimination
• Examine the significance of aggression in society today
• Evaluate strategies for decreasing aggression and prejudice
Curriculum Organizer: Social and Cultural Connections
Students will be able to:
• Identify basic social and cultural categories
• Discuss how social and cultural categories affect behaviour
• Describe the effects of the presence of others on individual behaviour
• Describe how social structure can affect intergroup relations
INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENT
Psychology 11 uses a variety of instructional techniques. These include but are not limited to the
following: direct instruction (eg. lecture/notes); indirect instruction, independent/peer instruction; practical
application activities; group work (eg. brainstorming); class discussions (eg. case studies); communitybased guest speakers; field trips (optional).
ASSESSMENT COMPONENT
Formative Assessment:
80% of the grade for this course is based on evaluation
conducted throughout the course. This evaluation consists
of unit tests, written assignments, in-class work and
homework.
Summative Assessment:
20% of the grade for this course is based on a final
examination that will cover content for the entire school
year.
LEARNING RESOURCES
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Psychology in Action (Huffman), 5th, 6th, or 7th editions, or a comparable introductory Psychology
text
Instructor’s Resource Manual to accompany text
Test Bank to accompany text
Study Guide to accompany text (optional)
Activities Handbooks for the Teaching of Psychology, Vols. I – IV (APA)
selected videos (teacher’s choice) appropriate to content of course
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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Membership in TOPSS (Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools) and in Division Two of
the American Psychological Association is helpful in teaching this course
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