AP Psychology Summer Assignment
Welcome to AP Psychology! For almost every college student, psychology is part of their general
education requirements. Earning a 3 or higher on an AP exam is a mark of prestige and excellence on
your high school transcript.
The summer work is just enough to give you a glimpse into the class, without impeding your summer
frivolity. We do not have our new textbooks yet, so you will have to use the internet resources below,
and you may also want to check out a psychology textbook from the public library or purchase an AP
review book from a bookstore. All you will need for this class is a 1” 3-ring binder and paper.
I look forward to getting to know you all as we explore our mental and behavioral processes.
Assignments: Use the following websites and access additional resources as needed. Read about your
memory. Take notes using the template that I provided. Complete the vocabulary assignment. Take the
quizzes. How did you perform? Take them again until you get a perfect score. Analyze your notes. Were
you missing information? Do you need to do more research? Do it! The internet is amazing. Watch the
videos and write a one page reflection. All work must be handwritten. All assignments are due on the
first day of class. Failing to turn in this work on time will result in a severe grade penalty or a forced
withdrawal from the class.
1. Spark Notes: Memory (Read Every Section, there are multiple pages for each section.)
http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/memory/
Summary: Memory
http://www.appsychology.com/Book/Cognition/Memory/memoryintro.htm
2. Memory Vocabulary “Hot Words,” these are the most commonly asked terms from the chapter.
3. Quiz: Memory
http://www.appsychology.com/HowPass/MC%20quizes/Memory/memory.htm
4. Eyewitness Testimony Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-SBTRLoPuo
Eyewitness Testimony Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4V6aoYuDcg
What can be learned from this case? Write a brief analysis of this case. Write a brief personal
reflection on the “life lessons” that are presented in this video. What is forgiveness? Of what do
you need to let go?
Notes Template
Throughout the year, you will develop your own reading and note-taking style. However, everyone will
use this template at the beginning of the year in order to receive full credit. As the year progresses, and
you prove your ability on AP-style classroom tests, your notes may begin to take on a different shape.
Essential Question: Preview the reading, what do you think is the essential topic? When you are
finished with the assignment, answer this question.
Margin Analysis
Notes
-Reflections
Either outline or use bullets. Be sure to use “chunking” and to include
any section headings as these are helpful in establishing the focal points.
Your notes should be more than just vocabulary words and definitions.
-Mnemonic devices
-Questions
-Analyses
-Prior knowledge
-Any thoughts the topic
brings to mind
-Key terms/people
-Pictures
-Inferences
Summary and Reflection
Vocabulary “Hot Words” Template
Encoding, Sensory memory, Automatic processing, Effortful processing, Spacing effect, Serial position
effect, Visual encoding, Acoustic encoding, Semantic encoding, Long-term potentiation, Hippocampus,
Implicit memory, Explicit memory, Proactive interference, Retroactive interference, Source amnesia,
Elizabeth Loftus, Hermann Ebbinghaus
Word
Definition
Example
Mnemonic/Picture/Key
Word