PSYCHOLOGY
CURRICULUM
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Psychology provides an opportunity to study individual and social psychology and how the knowledge and
methods of psychologists are applied to the solution of human problems. Content for the course includes some
insights into behavior patterns and adjustments to social environments. The course should develop critical
attitudes toward superficial generalizations about human beings, respect for the difficulty of establishing the
truth of a proposition, and a heightened sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course provides students the opportunity to explore psychology as the scientific study of mental
processes and behavior. Areas of study include the scientific method, development, cognition,
personality, assessment and mental health, and the socio-cultural and biological bases of behavior.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
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Demonstrate understanding of the Scientific Method through guided experimentation.
Understand the basic function and processes of the brain.
Identify and explain the contributions of leaders in psychological thought.
Demonstrate understanding of testing methods through guided experimentation.
Understand the symptoms and treatment for basic and psychotic disorders.
Explain the three main theories of child development.
INDIANA STATE STANDARDS
Standard 1 — The Scientific Method
Students will understand the development of psychology as an empirical science by describing the scientific
method, explaining research strategies, and identifying ethical issues.
Standard 2 — Development
Students will explain the process of how humans grow, learn, and adapt to their environment.
Standard 3 — Cognition
Students will understand how organisms adapt to their environment through learning, information processing,
and memory.
Standard 4 — Personality, Assessment, and Mental Health
Students will recognize that personality is the distinctive and relatively stable pattern of behaviors, thoughts,
motives, and emotions that characterize an individual. They will also identify the different types and functions
of assessment instruments; understand the factors that contribute to mental health, stress, and mental illness, and
identify approaches for treatment of mental health problems.
Standard 5 — Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Behavior
Students will understand the socio-cultural dimensions of behavior including topics, such as conformity,
obedience, perception, attitudes, and the influence of the group on the individual.
Standard 6 — Biological Bases of Behavior
Students will investigate the structure, biochemistry, and circuitry of the brain and the nervous system to
understand their roles in affecting behavior, including the ability to distinguish between sensation and
perception.
UNITS OF INSTRUCTION (STATE STANDARDS)
Unit 1: Experimentation/Scientific Method
Unit 2: Founding Fathers of Psychology
Unit 3: Disorders
Unit 4: Human Development
COURSE ASSESSMENTS
DAILY CLASSWORK
Essays
Tests
Individual Presentations
Group Presentations
Media Presentations
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft PowerPoint
TIMELINE
Week 1: Intelligence Testing – Scottsburg Intelligence Test/Scientific Experimentation (1)
Week 2: Parts of the Brain/Experiment Presentations (1, 3, 6)
Week 3: Sigmund Freud/Famous Psychologists/Projective Tests (1, 3, 4)
Week 4: Psychologists Fair/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/”As Good As It Gets” (4)
Week 5: “Kissing Doorknobs”/Abnormal Psychology/Disorders (4)
Week 6: Abnormal Psychology/Mood Disorders/Disorders Review (4)
Week 7: Psychotic Disorders/ “A Beautiful Mind”/Serial Killer Projects (4)
Week 8: Personality/Personality Disorders/Human Development (2, 3, 4, 5)
Week 9: Psychology of Multiple Births/Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development (2, 3, 5)
Week 10: Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development/Erickson’s Life Stages (2, 3, 5)
Week 11: Hypnosis/Dreaming/Focus Question Projects (1, 2, 3, 5)
Week 12: Focus Question Presentations/Final (1, 2, 3, 5)
COURSE MATERIALS: MAJOR TEXTS, PRINCIPAL MATERIALS AND FILMS
TEXT BOOK:
Understanding Psychology
KEY TEXTS:
Kissing Doorknobs
A Child Called It
FILMS:
AS GOOD AS IT GETS
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
BIOGRAPHY: SIGMUND FREUD