Name ___________________________________________
AP Psychology Summer Assignment: 2014-2015
Welcome to AP Psychology with Mr. Hache. Your summer assignment will require you to use both the attached
resources along with the reading found online. The reasoning behind a summer assignment is to prepare students
for the rigorous work that all Advanced Placement classes must complete. To that end the A.P. Psychology summer
assignment is designed to allow students to get off to a good start in class.
ALL WORK IS DUE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. There are no excuses. (Including I tried to drop but
couldn’t or I wasn’t sure if I could get into the course because I was on the waiting list).
Answer the following questions (must be handwritten) in short-essay format (3-7 sentences depending on the
complexity of the subject) in your own words (vital for memory). There are many online resources listed below
that will help you research all of the topics, but the attached reading is also a valuable resource. The assignment is
intended to increase your awareness about some of the major researchers, theories and concepts that we will study
this year. If done well, this assignment will help you succeed in the course right from the start.
http://www.alleydog.com/
http://www.apa.org/research/action/glossary.aspx
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/index.html
http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html
Part I:
1. What is psychology? Elaborate on your definition (3 pts).
2. Describe the “Nature/Nurture” debate as it applies to psychology (3 pts).
3. Identify all 20 of the following important figures in psychology and describe their most significant
contributions (3 pts each).
a. Albert Bandura:
i. Erik Erikson:
b. Sigmund Freud:
j. William James:
c. Abraham Maslow:
k. Ivan Pavlov:
d. BF Skinner:
l. Jean Piaget:
e. Carl Rogers:
m. John Watson:
f. Wilhelm Wundt:
n. Philip Zimbardo
g. Howard Gardner:
o. Lawrence Kohlberg vs. Carol Gilligan:
h. Charles Darwin:
p. Karen Horney:
q. Elizabeth Loftus:
r. Stanley Milgram:
s. Carl Jung:
t. Alfred Binet:
Move on to the next page
4. Thoroughly describe each of the 7 main perspectives within psychology listed below and give an
example of the type of research a person might do within that perspective (5 points each)
a. Neuroscience (biological):
b. Evolutionary:
c. Psychodynamic:
d. Behavioral:
e. Cognitive:
f. Humanistic:
g. Social Cultural:
Part II: Summarize the main focus that each type of psychologist takes in their chosen specialty (2 each)
a. Biological Psychologists:
b. Developmental Psychologists:
c. Cognitive Psychologists:
d. Personality Psychologists:
e. Social Psychologists:
f. Educational Psychologists:
g. Clinical Psychologists:
h. Counseling Psychologists:
i. School Psychologists:
j. Sports Psychologists:
k. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists:
l. Psychometric Psychologists:
Part III: AP Psychology Current Events Assignment
Over the summer, you will read 3 different articles related to psychology and complete a written analysis for each.
Basic Information
The purpose of this assignment is for you to see how psychology is happening around us each day. You will need
to read an article from a reliable news source such as a reputable magazine, news website, print newspaper or
commonly printed journal (USE THE LINKS I PROVIDED).
Topics & Sources
Acceptable topics include anything connected with psychology: the human brain or nervous system, human
behavior, human development, sensation and perception, sleep and dreams, memory, learning, intelligence,
motivation, therapy, psychological disorders such as autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia, research or studies
dealing with emotion, personality, or social psychology. (If you are having difficulty finding a suitable topic, feel free
to email me at dhache@whrhs.org). Please research a variety of topics – there are a ton to choose from.
Good Links
http://psychcentral.com/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/
http://www.apa.org/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/section/lateststories/
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news
Requirements: The following must be completed for the assignment:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Read the article COMPLETELY
Summarize the article (who, what, where, when, why)
What you found interesting about the topic (1 paragraph)
Do you agree with the conclusion the author comes to?
Does the author seem to be slanted in their opinion when writing this article?
How does this connect to any of the topics of Psychology (use the summer reading and/or
research)?
7. Copy of the article
Grading Rubric:
Summary: who, what, where, why
1
2
3
4
5
What you found interesting
1
2
3
4
5
Your opinion/reaction
1
2
3
4
5
Author opinion/bias
1
2
3
4
5
Connection to class
1
2
3
4
5
Total_____/25