AP Psychology Exam

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AP Psychology
2014 – 2015
Ms. Samuelson
Per 5
Contact Ms. S
ksamuelson@rocklinacademy.org
Wscacademy.org – The school’s website has a homework tracking system that will send email reminders to students and
parents about homework. You will need to subscribe to classes to receive these emails
Course Objectives
The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and
mental processes of human beings. Students learn about some of the explorations and discoveries made by
psychologists over the past century. Students assess some of the differing approaches adopted by psychologists,
including the biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural perspectives. Most
important, students come to an appreciation of how psychologists think (or at least an appreciation of the kind of critical
analysis that psychologists espouse and hope to model in their words and actions).
Resources
Text: Psychology in Action 10th Edition by Karen Huffman
Students will need a binder or notebook to organize notes in. They will be provided with a FRQ/Quick write journal to
use in class. These journals will stay in the classroom.
Technology: All students will be receiving iPads within the first weeks of school. We will utilize these in our class along
with Google Classroom to complete homework, assignments and class discussions.
Recommended: Barron’s or Crash Course Psychology study guide books
AP Psychology Exam
All students in this class are expected to take the AP Psychology Exam in the spring. The AP Psychology Exam is
scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2015.
For more information about the exam, students and parents may visit https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/appsychology?phych
Grading Policy
This class adheres to WSCA’s grading policy. Grades will be weighted 90% summative (including exams, papers and
projects), 10% formative (quick writes, reading quizzes and homework assignments).
Academic Integrity
WSCA has obtained a license for TurnItIn, a plagiarism checker that scans student work to compare it to all internet
resources as well as work done by other students in the databank. All written assignments will need to be submitted to
this program before they will be accepted. Issues with academic integrity will be dealt with by administration.
Exam Structure
Summative exams are created to mimic the structure of the AP exam and will use a combination of sample multiple
choice questions and AP style FRQ prompts. Exams will be subject to the same time limit pacing as the actual exam.
Exam scores will be weighted to reflect what each students score would be equal to on the five point AP Scale and
assigned grades accordingly (5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2/1=Incomplete). Exams will cover approximately 60% new material and
40% cumulative material to best prepare students for the AP test.
Test Retake Policy
Students are encouraged to retake tests throughout the course for a higher grade. To ensure that students recapture
learning, to be eligible to retake a test, students must correct answers they missed on the original exam. Test
corrections must include an explanation of the correct answer (what it is, why it’s correct) and where the correct answer
was found (textbook, website, teacher). For exam grades below 70%, students must discuss the test corrections with
the teacher before they will be allowed to retake the test. All test retakes will use a different version of the exam.
Students wishing to raise their test grade need to complete or arrange to complete retakes within 3 weeks of when tests
are returned to students. Clearing incomplete scores takes precedent over retaking a passed exam for a higher grade.
Classroom Procedures
Rules: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Appropriate
Students are expected to follow the behavior policy set by the school, follow safety considerations during labs and come
to class on time and prepared. Failure to meet expectations will result in interventions and disciplinary action.
Course Outline
Semester One Topics
Introduction to Psychology– Chapter One (two weeks)
- History of psychology and historical approaches, including Structuralism, Functionalism, and Psychoanalytic
approach.
- Seven Major Perspectives of Psychology: Psychodynamic, Behavioral, Humanistic, Cognitive, Biological,
Evolutionary and Sociocultural.
Assessment: AP style Exam 1
Stress and Health Psychology – Chapter 3 (one week)
- Sources and effects of stress
- Stress and Illness
- Health Psychology and Stress Management
Motivation and Emotion – Chapter 12 (two weeks)
- Theories of Motivation
- Motivation and Behavior
- Theories of Emotion
Assessment: Goals and Plans Paper – Students will apply motivational theories and topics from Stress and Health
psychology to determine a list of personal goals for this school year and create an action plan for completing those goals
and managing stress.
Memory – Chapter 7 (two weeks)
- Memory Models
- Sensory Memory, Short Term/Working Memory, Long Term Memory
- Forgetting
- Biological bases of memory
Assessment: AP Practice Exam 2
Learning – Chapter 6 (two weeks)
- Classical Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning
- Cognitive Social-Learning
- Biology of Learning
Assessment: Conditioning Essay – Students will compose an essay citing examples of learning theories covered in Chapter
6. Students will have to incorporate examples from their life as well as media and popular culture. Students will choose
one type of conditioning and apply the concept to condition themselves, a pet or a willing participant. Students must
consider ethics and submit conditioning plan for approval. Students will write about their experience in conditioning as
part of the essay.
Social Psychology – Chapter 16 (two weeks)
- Attributions and Attitudes
- Prejudice and Discrimination
- Interpersonal Attraction
- Social Influence
- Group Processes
- Aggression
- Altruism
Assessment: Applications of Social Psychology - students will apply a topic a from a journal article related to social
psychology to a film/movie of their choice. Students may choose any topic related to social psychology and must
reference the film, article and relevant information from the textbook and class in their essay.
Gender and Human Sexuality – Chapter 11 (one week)
- Human Sexuality
- Sex and Gender
- Sexual Behavior and Problems
Assessment: Exam 3
Life Span Development – Chapter 9/10 (three weeks)
- Theories of Development
- Physical Development
- Cognitive Development
- Social-Emotional Development
- Moral Development
- Personality Development
- Grief and Death
- Psychoanalytic theories of Development
Assessment: Application of Developmental Psychology – students will research a topic pertaining to developmental
psychology and suggest how psychological theories can be applied to real world examples and programs.
Personality – Chapter 13 (two weeks)
- Trait Theories
- Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Theories
- Humanistic Theories
- Social-Cognitive Theories
- Biological Theories
- Personality Assessment
Assessment: Exam 4
Semester Two Topics
Biological Bases of Behavior – Chapter 2 (two weeks)
- Neural bases of behavior
- Nervous System Organization
- Endocrine System
- Brain Structure
- Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology
Assessment: Brain Model – modeling is a scientific activity the aim of which is to make a particular part or feature of the
world easier to understand, define, quantify, visualize, or simulate. Students will build or create a model of the brain
which includes structures outlined in the rubric. Students must use a creative method for providing detailed descriptions
for parts of the brain. Students will present and display their projects.
Sensation and Perception – Chapter 4 (two weeks)
- Sensation
- Vision
- Hearing
- Smell and Taste, Body Senses
- Perception
Assessment: Exam 5
States of Consciousness – Chapter 5 (one week)
- Levels of Awareness
- Sleep and Dreams
- Psychoactive Drugs
- Hypnosis
Thinking, Language and Intelligence – Chapter 8 (two weeks)
- Thinking and Cognition
- Language
- Intelligence
- Individual Differences in Testing
Assessment: Exam 6
Psychological Disorders – Chapter 14 (two weeks)
- Anxiety Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Substance related disorders
- Dissociative Disorders
- Personality Disorders
Assessment: Exam 7
Therapy – Chapter 15 (two weeks)
- Insight Therapies
- Behavior Therapies
- Biomedical Therapies
Assessment: Case Study Project – students will write a case studies describing a person (real or fictional, must be
someone famous and not familiar) and present signs and symptoms leading to a possible diagnosis. Students will
present their case studies for the class. Students will examine how therapists from each branch of psychology could treat
the client.
Research Methods – Chapter One (two weeks)
- Science of Psychology: Scientific Method and Ethical Guidelines
- Research Methods
- Statistics and Psychology – Appendix A
Assessment: Observational Research Project – students will choose a research topic and prepare an observational study
using the scientific method and psychological research techniques.
Test Prep (two weeks)
Assessment: Exam 8
***Testing Week***
AP Exam – May 4th
Psychology at Work in the Global Economy – Chapter 18 (one week)
- Communication
- Persuasion
- Conflict
Assessment: Community Service Project – students will apply what they’ve learned throughout the course to design a
community service project to carry out for the rest of the school during standardized testing weeks or final exams.
Students may work in groups, but will be graded on individual efforts including a short essay explaining the project and
how it benefits their peers.
Psychology of Disney Movies (two weeks)
- Discuss psychological themes present in popular animated films
- Incorporate learning from multiple units to discuss psychological phenomenon
Assessment: Psych Fair/Final Project – students will choose a topic from the course to explore in depth and prepare a
project relating to that topic. The goal of the project is to show literacy in psychology by discussing an aspect of human
behavior while drawing from multiple theories, areas of psychology and perspectives. Projects will be showcased the
final weeks of school. This project is open so that students can show their creativity and depth of mastery gained during
the year.
*Syllabus is subject to change
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