AP PSYCHOLOGY
OVERVIEW
DESCRIPTION
Advanced Placement Psychology is the equivalent of a college
introductory psychology course. It uses a textbook written for college
students. Other materials, tests, and assignments are of a similar degree of
difficulty; however, methods, activities, the schedule, and the pace of
instruction are adapted to the characteristics and abilities of highly motivated
high school students. Success in this course should prepare a student for
satisfactory performance on the Advanced Placement Test administered in
May by the College Testing Service.
GOALS
In order to introduce the science of psychology, the course goals will
be:
A. to explore the full range of psychology – from cell to society – in
an eclectic manner as free from theoretical bias as possible
B. to explain the content of psychology with an emphasis on the
doing of psychology, through a blend of conceptual discussion and
description of research studies
C. to foster scientific attitudes and to help students think critically by
examining the ways that psychologists have so9lved, or failed to
solve, fascinating puzzles of behavior and mental processes.
D. To be clear, accessible and enjoyable without oversimplifying
psychology
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Students learn best and enjoy learning most when they are actively
engaged in the learning process. I have prepared a variety of classroom
demonstrations, activities, experiments, discussions, videos, web sites,
interactive software materials, etc. to present the course content.
In order to prepare yourself, you will also need to do extensive
reading and preparation. The amount of printed materials distributed in an
Advanced Placement course is substantially higher than in a regular class.
The student will need access to this material to study for the class exams and
the AP Exam. A well-organized three ring binder is recommended.
The textbook used is David Myer’s Psychology, ed 8. This textbook
is the most widely used textbook in the country, both for AP classes and for
college Introductory Psychology classes. According to Myers his vision for
the text is “to merge rigorous science with a broad human perspective in a
book that engages both mind and heart.” He seeks to communicate
psychology’s scholarship with “crisp narrative and vivid storytelling.” You
will find that the author uses a very personal style of writing.
Supplemental readings will be completed in the book, 40 Studies that
Changed Psychology, ed 5 by Roger Hock. According to Hock “this book is
an attempt to fill the gap between the psychology textbooks and the research
that made them possible. ….The studies chosen are arguably the most
famous, the most important, or the most influential in the history of
psychology.”
You will be selecting two books to read. One book will be read the
first quarter, the second book will be read the fourth quarter after the exam.
This will allow you to examine specific psychological studies in more depth.
A reading list will be provided, and will include fiction, as well as
nonfiction, titles..
REQUIRED SKILLS
Students in the AP program need to conduct college level research.
They must know how to locate appropriate sources of information, such as
abstracts and primary sources.
Students will complete or participate in oral or written activities that
will require them to utilize higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation). Examples of such requirements are:
Academic journal reviews
Debates
Essays
Experiments
Seminar discussions
Interviews
Naturalistic observation and analysis
AP EXAM
One of our primary objectives will be to prepare you to successfully
take the AP Exam offered in May. This exam costs approximately $82. AP
scores range from 0 to 5. The vast majority of colleges accept a score of 3
for college credit or advanced placement. Some of the most selective
colleges may require a 4 or 5. I believe that each student should set a
personal goal to not only take the exam, but to also score at the highest
level.. It is my personal goal for each of you as well.
AP EXAM CONTENT
The exam is comprised of 100 multiple choice questions and two
required essays. The following table taken from AP Central – the College
Board’s official site – reflects the approximate percentage of the multiplechoice section of the exam devoted to each content area:
2-4% history
6-8% methods and approaches
8-10% biological bases of behavior
7-9% sensation and perception
2-4% states of consciousness
7-9% learning
8-19% cognition
7-9% developmental psychology
6-8% personality
5-7% testing and individual differences
7-9% abnormal psychology
5-7% treatment of psychological disorders
7-9% social psychology
From AP Central: “The free-response questions evaluate students’
mastery of scientific research principles and their ability to make
connections among constructs from different psychological domains.
Students may be asked to analyze a general problem in psychology (e.g.
depression, adaptation) using concepts from different theoretical frameworks
or subdomains in the field, or they may be asked to design, analyze, or
critique a research study.”
ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITY
Students are expected to abide by ethical standards in preparing and
presenting material that demonstrates their level of knowledge and which is
used to determine grades. The North Penn High School policies on cheating
and plagiarism will be enforced. Additionally, students will be instructed in
the ethics of experimentation when dealing with human subjects. It is the
responsibility of each student to be fully informed on this topic and to follow
these ethical guidelines at all times.