School District of the Chathams
Curriculum Profile
Program of Study: A.P. Psychology
Course Title: A.P. Psychology
Grade Level: 11, 12
I.
Course Description
This is a college level introductory psychology course offered to motivated high school
students. The textbook is Psychology, in Modules (7th edition - 2004) by David G.
Myers. Students will be working through the entire textbook during this year long
course. The goal of this course is to help students learn to think like psychologists, both
as researchers and as clinicians. Students who do well in this course should also perform
well on the A.P. Psychology exam.
II.
Course Objectives and Alignment with APA National
Standards for the Teaching of High School Psychology (1997)
1. Students will study fundamental concepts, vocabulary and theories of psychology.
Standards from Introduction and Research Methods Domain: 1.1, 6.1, 6.3
Standards from Bio-Psychological Domain:
Biological Bases of Behavior: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 8.1
Sensation and Perception: 1.1, 1.2
Motivation and Emotion: 3.1, 4.1
Stress, Coping and Health: 1.1, 2.1, 3.1
Standards from the Cognitive Domain:
Learning: 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1
Memory: 1.1, 4.1
Thinking and Language: 1.2, 2.1, 3.2
States of Consciousness: 1.1, 1.3, 3.1
Standards from the Developmental Domain: 1.1, 1.3, 3.1
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
Standards from the Sociocultural Domain:
Individual Differences: 1.1, 3.2, 3.3
Personality and Assessment: 1.1, 2.1, 2.2
Psychological Disorders: 1.1, 1.4, 3.1
Treatment of Psychological Disorders: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1
2. Students will learn the skills of psychological research.
Standards from Introduction and Research Methods: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 6.2
Standards from Bio-Psychological Domain:
Biological Bases of Behavior: 4.1, 5.1
Sensation and Perception: 1.4, 3.1, 3.2
Motivation and Emotion: 6.1, 7.1
Stress, Coping and Health: 4.1, 4.2
Standards from the Cognitive Domain:
Learning: 2.1, 3.1
Memory: 1.2, 5.1
Thinking and Language: 4.2, .4.3
States of Consciousness: 1.2, 2.2
Standards from the Developmental Domain: 1.1, 2.1
Standards from the Sociocultural Domain:
Individual Differences: 1.2, 2.1, 4.2, 4.3
Personality and Assessment: 3.1, 3.2
Psychological Disorders: 2.1, 2.2
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior: 1.4, 4.1
3. Students will develop scientific reasoning, critical thinking skills and build their
reading, writing, and discussion skills.
Standards from Introduction and Research Methods: 2.1, 2.2, 5.1, 6.4
Standards from Bio-Psychological Domain:
Biological Bases of Behavior: 7.1
Sensation and Perception: 1.4, 2.1
Motivation and Emotion: 1.1, 2.1, 2.3
Standards from the Cognitive Domain:
Learning: 5.3
Memory: 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 5.2
Thinking and Language: 2.2, 2.3, 4.2, 4.3
States of Consciousness: 1.2
Standards from the Developmental Domain: 1.2, 1.4, 3.2
Standards from the Sociocultural Domain:
Individual Differences: 3.1, 4.1
Psychological Disorders: 1.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Treatment of Psychological Disorders: 2.2, 3.1
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior: 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
4. Students will apply psychological principles to their own lives.
Standards from Introduction and Research Methods: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 6.4
Standards from Bio-Psychological Domain:
Biological Bases of Behavior: 1.3, 7.1, 7.2
Sensation and Perception: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
Motivation and Emotion: 1.1, 2.3, 5.1, 7.1
Stress, Coping and Health: 1.1, 4.1, 4.2
Standards from the Cognitive Domain:
Learning: 1.2, 4.1, 5.2
Memory: 3.1, 3.3, 5.2
Thinking and Language: 1.2, 2.3, 5.1
States of Consciousness: 1.2, 2.1
Standards from the Developmental Domain: 1.2, 1.4, 3.2, 3.4, 5.2
Standards from the Sociocultural Domain:
Individual Differences: 2.1
Personality and Assessment: 2.1, 3.2
Psychological Disorders: 1.3, 4.3
Treatment of Psychological Disorders: 2.1
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
5. Students will develop introspective skills to examine their decisions and
relationships more thoroughly.
Standards from Introduction and Research Methods: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 6.4
Standards from Bio-Psychological Domain:
Biological Bases of Behavior: 1.3, 7.1, 7.2
Sensation and Perception: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2
Motivation and Emotion: 1.1, 2.3, 5.1, 7.1
Stress, Coping and Health: 1.1, 4.1, 4.2
Standards from the Cognitive Domain:
Learning: 1.2, 4.1, 5.2
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
Memory: 3.1, 3.3, 5.2
Thinking and Language: 1.2, 2.3, 5.1
States of Consciousness: 1.2, 2.1
Standards from the Developmental Domain: 1.2, 1.4, 3.2, 3.4, 5.2
Standards from the Sociocultural Domain:
Individual Differences: 2.1
Personality and Assessment: 2.1, 3.2
Psychological Disorders: 1.3, 4.3
Treatment of Psychological Disorders: 2.1
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
III.
Topical Outline
I. Methods and Social Psychology
II. Biopsychology
III. Sensation and Perception
IV. States of Consciousness
V. Learning and Memory
VI. Thinking, Language and Intelligence
VII. Developing Child; Adolescence and Adulthood
VIII. Motivation and Emotion
IX. Personality
X. Psychological Disorders
XI. Therapy
XII. Stress
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
XIII. Social Relations
XIV. Applying Psychology
IV.
Skills
A. Students are able to describe and compare the biological, behavioral,
cognitive, and socio-cultural perspectives.
B. Describe the elements of an experiment and explain the importance of
sampling in psychological research.
C. Describe and compare quantitative and qualitative research strategies.
D. Explain and describe measures of central tendency.
E. Describe the concept of correlation and how it is used in psychology.
F. Identify ethical issues in psychological research.
G. Identify sources of attitude formation.
H. Assess some methods used to change attitudes.
I. Discuss how social and cultural categories affect behavior.
J. Describe effects of the presence of others on individual behavior.
K. Explore the nature of bias, discrimination, altruism, and aggression.
L. Describe circumstances under which conformity and obedience are likely
to occur.
M. Describe how information is transmitted and integrated in the nervous
system.
N. Identify the structure and function of the major regions of the brain.
O. Explain how technology can be used to analyze brain behavior and
disease.
P. Assess the effects of heredity and environment on behavior.
Q. Explain the concepts of threshold, adaptation, and constancy.
R. Describe the operation of sensory systems.
S. Explain Gestalt concepts and principles.
T. Explain what is meant by attention.
U. Apply motivational concepts to the behavior of humans, with special
attention to hunger, sex, and work.
V. Describe theories of emotion.
W. List and explain possible physical and psychological reactions to stress.
X. Identify and explain cognitive and behavioral strategies to deal with stress.
Y. Describe physical, social, and cognitive changes from the prenatal period
throughout the lifespan.
Z. Apply lifespan principles to personal experience.
AA.
Describe the role of critical periods in development.
BB.
Recognize how societal conceptions of gender shape the
experiences of males and females.
CC.
Recognize learning as a vehicle to promote adaptation through
experience.
DD.
Describe and apply the classical conditioning paradigm.
EE.Describe and apply the operant conditioning paradigm.
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
FF. Explain how observational and cognitive learning work.
GG.
Describe the operation of short and long term memory.
HH.
Analyze the importance of retrieval cues in memory.
II. Develop strategies for improving memory.
JJ. Practice problem-solving as a directed and productive example of
thinking.
KK.
Explain the characteristics of psycho-analytic, cognitivebehavioral, humanistic, and trait approaches to personality.
LL.Identify important historical contributions to the understanding of
personality.
MM.
Distinguish between objective and projective techniques of
personality assessment.
NN.
Evaluate the efficacy of personality testing.
OO.
Discuss major categories of abnormal behavior.
PP. Explain the challenges associated with ac
QQ.
Analyze the obstacles that inhibit problem-solving.
RR.
Evaluate the theories of language acquisition.
SS. Speculate on whether animals acquire and use language.
TT.Compare theories that explain why we sleep.
UU.
Compare theories about the use and meaning of dreams.
VV.
Describe several hypnotic phenomena.
WW.
Explain the nature of test constructs, such as intelligence, creativity
and personality tests.
XX.
Describe theories of intelligence.
YY.
Explain the criteria used to determine DSM diagnosis of mental
illnesses.
ZZ.Discuss the stigma associated with abnormal behavior.
AAA. Describe availability and efficacy of various modes of treatment
for people with psychological disorders.
V.
Methods of Instruction and Sample Activities
A. Teacher directed small group and large group discussion, including graded
student-led debates
B. Practice exercises – e.g. link the behavioral scenario to the appropriate
level of child development
C. Lectures, including use of powerpoint
D. Demonstrations of experiments – classical conditioning, etc.
E. Simulations – role playing therapy, etc.
F. Hands on activities which reinforce vocabulary and concepts of
psychology – e.g. create a model of the brain
G. Individual projects and presentations – both written and oral
H. Individual research – done throughout year to prepare for final project
VI.
Instructional Materials
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee:
Psychology, in Modules (7th edition - 2004) by David G. Myers
A.P. Psychology exams from the College Board
On line and printed articles from relevant journals
PsychInquiry CD-Rom, Myers, 7e – student activities in critical thinking
PsychSim 5: interactive CD-Rom, Ludwig
Discovering Psychology video series hosted by Philip Zimbardo
Excerpts from books and films, e.g. Forty Studies that Changed Psychology, The Man
Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat; Opening Skinner’s Box; the Aviator, 12 Angry Men,
Ordinary People, Kinsey
Websites, e.g. apa.org, bcs.worthpublishers.com/myersinmodules73/, nimh.nih.gov
VII. Student Outcomes and Methods of Assessment
A. Improvement in ability to listen to and respond to classmates’ ideas;
improvement in contributions to class discussions; ability to lead a
productive class discussion
B. Use of a double-entry journal for taking content and reaction notes from
the textbook
C. Essays and experiment write ups
D. Teacher made tests and quizzes
E. Mid-term and final examination, practice A.P. examinations
F. General classroom preparation and participation
G. Oral presentations
H. Projects such as the binder of personal development, model of brain
I. Clinical case study/ book review related to mental illness
J. Progress towards and then completion of final project, including literature
review and original research
Date of Last Review or Revision:
Members of Review/Revision Committee: