AP PSYCHOLOGY
ESSENTIAL UNIT 10 (E10)
(Social Psychology)
(JULY 2011)
Unit Statement: The student will learn how individuals relate to one another in social
situations, focusing on attitudes, influence and other social phenomena.
Essential Outcomes:
1. The Student Will apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution
error, self-serving bias).
2. TSW describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g.,
deindividuation, group polarization).
3. TSW explain how individuals respond to expectations of others, including groupthink,
conformity, and obedience to authority.
4. TSW discuss attitudes and how they change (e.g., central route to persuasion).
5. TSW predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g.,
bystandereffect, social facilitation).
6. TSW describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members (e.g.,
in-group/out-group dynamics, ethnocentrism, prejudice).
7. TSW articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity)
on self-concept and relations with others.
8. TSW anticipate the impact of behavior on a self-fulfilling prophecy.
9. TSW describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction.
10. TSW discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive
dissonance.
11. TSW identify important figures in social psychology (e.g., Solomon Asch, Leon Festinger,
Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo).
Materials:
1. King, Laura A. “Chapter 11.” The Science of Psychology: Essentials. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
2. Meyers, David. “Modules 43, 44 and 45.” Exploring Psychology in Modules, 7e,
E-book Access Card (Activation code for 365-day access). New York: Worth
Publishers, 2008. Print.
3. " Psychology Home ." Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Resources
by Annenberg Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology>.
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Websites:
In addition to the websites identified in the Course Outcomes, the following websites may
be helpful.
1. King - The Science of Psychology
2. Myers 7e in Modules
3. HippoCampus Psychology - Homework Help
4. Course-notes for Psychology
5. Psychology Home
6. Encyclopedia of Psychology - Psychology Websites
7. The Top Five Reasons to Use Google Adwords Keyword Tool
8. Neuroeconomics: In Oxytocin We Trust | Going Mental | Big Think
9. Why Staying Connected is Important - Science360 - The Knowledge Network
10. Why We Smile On Facebook - Science360 - The Knowledge Network
11. Psychology: Bystander Intervention Lesson
12. Stumbling Into Bad Behavior - NYTimes.com
13. LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS | Social Darwinism
14. The Social Psychological Narrative — Or — What Is Social Psychology, Anyway?
| Conversation | Edge
Mandatory Assessments:
1. AP style multiple-choice exams must be used. The majority of the
questions should require students to use higher order thinking skills such as
synthesis and evaluation in which the student must combine knowledge and
skills across the unit.
2. Students must be required to complete the Examination Analysis form that
is contained as an attachment to the Course Outcomes. Students who have
taken the class report the value in helping them properly learn the TSWs.
3. Teacher generated or AP published free-response questions. Free response
questions can be taken directly from the AP Central site with rubrics
already created to use as an assessment tool.
Optional Assessments:
1. View some of the many good investigative accounts of cults - Manson Family,
Jonestown, etc. Preview all as some may be disturbing. Discuss the potential for
“intelligent, normal people” to become active members of a cult.
http://investigation.discovery.com/videos/cults-videos/ Reflect back on
discussions of hypnotism and mind control from Unit 3.
2. Have students create a culture, focusing on rules, mores, and social power
structure. Keep this limited to one or two classes and be sure students are aware
that the activity is on of imagination, not simulation. Review the Blue Eyes/Brown
Eyes experiment (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/), The
Wave experiment (http://www.ronjoneswriter.com/wave.html), or the Stanford
Prison Experiment (http://www.prisonexp.org/)
3. Bring out photos that will spur stereotypical responses. Explain to the class that it
will be a safe environment and they will be asked to be honest in their responses to
the photographs. You can do this in a journalling assignment, too, to keep
communication between you and the student. Aim for photos that bing out
stereotypes they may not know they hold (e.g. about weight, class, height, etc.)
This is a good way to introduce many social psychology topics, including
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Copyright © 1988-2012
stereotyping, bias, group-think. It can also be used as an introductory exercise to
quickly show how we are shaped, psychologically, by our social group/culture.
Teacher to Teacher:
1. Sometimes, this topic is seen as less scientific than others in the field of
psychology. What students may need to understand is how social psychology is the
crossroads of the macro- sociology and the micro -psychology.
2. Creating a safe environment, confidentiality agreements, and taking the time to debrief are vital for a successful exploration of social psychology. The topics that
need to be brought up can be upsetting for students and teachers, alike. To
understand the topic, however, having these difficult discussions is important.
3. It is possible to watch the original Miligram experiment on YouTube. It takes
several class periods so you may want to assign it as homework.
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QSI AP PSYCHOLOGY SEC E10
Copyright © 1988-2012