AP Psychology Summer Assignment
2014-2015
Ms. Hecox
ApPsychHecox@gmail.com
Welcome to AP Psychology! This summer assignment serves multiple introductory purposes. You will
have the chance to see snippets of what this course will cover through scientific articles, and I get the
chance to learn about you as a person as well as a student. It is important for you to remember that this
is your first grade for the course, and my first impression of you as a student. However, the goal is not
for the assignment to be overwhelmingly difficult or strenuous; rather, I hope that you will feel
comfortable reflecting on your own life experiences and responding to the information these articles
present. We will refer back to this assignment throughout the school year.
If at any time, you need clarification on the assignment, or support in completing it please contact me.
Turning in the assignment:
Follow the directions next to each part to find the submission instructions. All parts of the assignment
must be turned in by:
Due date: 2:10 on Friday, August 29th, 2014.
Deadline: 2:10 on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014.
There will be no exceptions to these dates/times.
Part I (20 practice/prep points) Completed on Turnitin.com
E-mail Ms. Hecox at APPsychhecox@gmail.com for the turnitin.com class information and
access instructions. You should use an e-mail address that is professional. Create an account
and complete the following on the discussion board section of the site:
1. Respond to a minimum of one of the discussion questions I have posed.
2. Respond to a minimum of two of your classmates.
Your writing style for all responses must be appropriate and academic. You are encouraged to
respond to students you do not already know!
Part II (30 formative points)
Submit hard copy, typed, in the beginning of class. It
must be printed PRIOR to the due date/deadline.
For part two you will be required to read scientific articles and answer reflection questions. I
would recommend reading each article on a different day, rather than trying to read them all in
one sitting. In other words do not procrastinate on this part of the assignment. All answers
must be in complete sentences for any credit. Your answers must come from the articles, not
the internet.
Humbled By History
1. Define Trepanning: 1 pt
2. What is functionalism? 2 pts (this question requires you to think about what the text says,
and reword it)
3. What is Wilhelm Wundt famous for? 1 pt
4. How has the way we study psychology changed over time? Give at least one specific example
to defend your answer. 2 pts
5. Neuroscientists' ultimate quest is to understand how the physical brain gives rise to
consciousness. Do you think this will ever happen, or is consciousness destined forever to be a
mystery? 2 pts
The President’s Speech
1. What does aphasia mean? 1 pt
2. What affects do you think having aphasia would have on your daily life? Give an example.2 pt
3. Based on the case study of Emily D. what do you think the right temporal lobe of the brain is
responsible for? 1 pt
Freud Returns
1. In response to criticisms of Freud's ideas, summarized in the text, Solms affirms some of
Freud's core ideas. Hobson, on the other hand, thinks "psychoanalysis is in big trouble." In your
view, how strong a case does each make? 2 pts (1 pt Solms 1 pt Hobson)
2. Which of Freud's ideas seem to be surviving, and which seem to be dying out? 2 pts
3. Compare and contrast Freud's depiction of the ID, ego, and superego with modern science's
diagram of explicit and implicit memory storage. 2 pts (1 compare, 1 contrast)
Seeking the Criminal Element
1. The article opens with a hypothetical scenario presented by Adrian Raine. If he presented
you with the opportunity to be screened for violent tendencies as he presents, would you?
Would you request that people around you be screened? Explain both answers. 2 pts
2. Explain a "medical model". Do you think the justice system could successfully function as a
medical model? 2 pts
3. In Psychological research, the phrase "correlation does not equal causation" has become
increasingly repeated. Explain what you interpret the phrase to mean. How does it relate to
the article? 2 pts
*interesting tidbit: crime rates increase when ice cream sales do!
Why Children Talk To Themselves
1. The article explains that Vygotsky was declared a "renegade" in Soviet Russia after
documenting "the importance of private speech". Why do you think he was persecuted for
these ideas? (bring in your knowledge of Soviet Russia!) 2 pts
2. What is the connection between private speech and the zone of proximal development? 2
pts
3. Is there a way to incorporate the concept of "private speech" into the classroom to help
students learn/master new topics? Would you find this effective? 2 pts