Miss Smith 2012-13

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Miss Smith
2012-13
Have you ever wondered…
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Why do I like the people, food, or music
that I like?
Or, why do I not like certain things or have
an irrational fear of certain things (like
_____ (you fill in the blank))?
Why do I get down or up when my favorite
song comes on the radio?
Why did I cheat on my test…my
boyfriend…my girlfriend…?
Why do I get so tired or maybe bored in a
class?(of course not in psychology though)
Or…Have you ever
wondered??
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Should we trust childhood sexual abuse memories that get
“recovered” in adulthood?
Are first-born children more driven to achieve?
Does handwriting or the way I position myself
in bed offer any clues to my personality?
Do my dreams really mean anything?
Does hypnosis really work?
Why my family or my relationships look so
dysfunctional at times and what to do about it?
Many people turn to “Psychology”
in search of answers…
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We watch Dr. Phil or Oprah or
listen to Dr. Drew
We read articles on psychic powers
We try hypnosis
We buy books on self-help, the
search for love and the meaning of
dreams
This is often referred to as
“Pop” Psychology
We also will turn to Psychology but a
different kind and in a different way
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How does this psychology actually differ?
 It is not built on fads or what is
popular on tv but it relies on
research and science
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It attempts to figure out why people
think, feel, and do what they do
Hopefully this course will give you the tools to answer many
questions and maybe by the end of the year, you will be
able to tell me why you behave the way you do!
So…AP Psychology
What??
 Why??
 Who??
 How??
 When??
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What is – AP Psychology?
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AP Psychology is intended to be equivalent to
an introductory college level course in
psychology
So, does this
mean it will be
hard??
Why take AP Psychology?
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See which one works for you.....
I have a desperate curiosity to learn the inner
workings of human behavior.
I want to take as many AP courses as I can so my
transcript makes me look really smart.
I want to learn to pick up chicks / guys.
I want to skip a course in college and save myself
(really my parents) some money
I heard this was an easy class with a really cool
teacher (I know this is a given)
Why – AP Psychology
…on a serious note…
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You should take this class if you are interested
in the field of psychology or just knowing more
on why people act the way they act
You should take this class if you are thinking of
taking psychology in college
You should take this class if you want a
challenging and exciting experience
You should take this class if you are willing to
work hard
Who??
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Who will you be dealing with this year…
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ME!
How – can you survive
AP Psychology??
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#1 - Set Expectations of yourself
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Figure out what you want out of this class and
why you are here
 A good score on the test and college credit
for the class?
 A good grade on your report card?
 A good gpa?
 A challenging experience?
 If none of these fit…maybe try another
class
How – can you survive AP
Psychology??
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#2 – Learn the Expectations of your
teacher
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What does your teacher expect from you?
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Come to class everyday prepared to work hard,
learn about psychology, and have fun
Come to class everyday open to new ideas,
concepts, and activities
Come to class everyday being honest to your
teacher, your classmates, and yourself – what
does this mean?? - “But I did study!! Really!!”
When – AP Psychology
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If you decide that this class is what you expected
and you can meet both my expectations and yours,
you will be taking an AP Exam
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Two parts – Multiple Choice and Essay - “free response”
The AP exam for this class is May 7th @ 12 p.m.
For those of you that complain about the exam,
just know on average a student saves around $3000
per AP exam passed.
The exams are scored on a
scale 1 through 5.
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A five means you say to yourself "I am a psychology
god and should be worshipped daily with sacrifices of
small animals"
A four means you say to yourself "I know my stuff and
can manipulate people and bend them to my will
A three means you say to yourself " I know just enough
to get a solid C in college", (this (a 3) is the last of
the non-embarrassing scores)
If you get a 2 you will say "I could have passed if I
didn't spend the night before the exam watching
Project Runway“
If you get a 1 you will probably say "What is sicologi?"
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If you really want to know what
scores your college of interest
accepts just click here.
http://UVA AP Credit Policy
So…..
Finally to what you
are all here for…
What exactly is
Psychology?
What is Psychology?
Two competing views
Two figures in the history of psychology had
different ideas on how to define it…
William Wundt
“what goes on
inside our minds”
Inner sensations or mental
processes - “what feelings
or thoughts does someone
have?”
John Watson“not what is in
our heads, but
what behavior
do you display”
Observable behavior – you
cannot observe thoughts but
you can observe how someone
responds to situations
Psychology: Modern
Definition
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The science of behavior
processes.
Behavior – anything an
organism does- any action we
can observe and record
and mental
Mental Processes – internal
subjective experiences we
infer from behavior
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Four goals in Psychology
To describe what people do
 Sometimes this is hard to do - why?
• We all view the world differently
• We see each other through the filters of our prior
experiences, our cultural values, and our beliefs (what
we will later call a schema)
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To explain why people think, feel, and act the
way they do
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What are the motives and how do people respond to
things that happen?
Why is this an important goal??
Even if we can’t change what has happened,
understanding the reason why it happened can give people
a sense of comfort and control and maybe we can prevent
it from happening again
Four goals of Psychology
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To predict what and when something will
happen
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Maybe stop something bad before it happens…however…
• real life doesn’t always cooperate with psychology
• Why is this an important point to keep in mind??
• Some of the best theories and ideas don’t
always work in the real world - with real people
and real situations
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To change the parts of human behavior
that cause us pain
 Refer to last point…but remember this is a goal
Psychology’s Big Issues
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Besides the four goals of psychology, there
are several issues that we will address and
debate all year long
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Stability vs. Change
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Rationality vs. Irrationality
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Nature vs. Nurture
Stability v. Change
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Do we change over time in distinct and universal stages
or do we basically remain the same drooling, slobbering,
simple beings of our beginnings?
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Do these things change? Personality traits, sense of humor,
tastes, etc…
Can a shy child become the teenage class clown?
Do we become adults or are we always just big kids?
Do our personalities change in different situations?
Rationality vs. Irrationality
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Are we wise or not?
Why do we do things that are
bad for us when we know
they are bad?
 We screw up, we make
mistakes, and we lose sight
of good judgment
 But, we often don’t change
behavior, we don’t seem
rational
Nature vs. Nurture
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Am I the way I am
because I was born that
way or because of my
surroundings?
Biology (genes) vs.
Experience
Can I ever be like
these people, or does
nature give me limitations?
Now what??
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Historical Background
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