Kauffman/AP Psychology
Unit #1: Prologue + Ch.14 Social Psychology
Syllabus (subject to change)
“Man is the only animal for whom his own
existence is a problem which he has to solve”
Erich Fromm, German-American social
Philosopher and Psychoanalyst
*CLASS IS A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE. YOUR TEXTBOOK IS A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE. YOU MUST BRING
THESE TWO TOGETHER TO HAVE SUCCESS. *Notes and active dialogue with the text are required in a SET
format.
The Essential Questions of this Unit: These will be answered throughout the unit as applied essays.
1. Why did the GBN hazing ritual become so out of control and why did those girls participate in the first place?
2. How does psychology explain the Abu Ghraib scandal (Iraqi prison abuse)?
3. To what degree and in what ways are our decisions swayed by implicit social biases?
4. Do video games & movies teach violence or act as a healthy release of aggression?
5. How can governments and communities combat aggression, terrorism and/or extremism?
6. What is the recipe for falling in love?
Daily Schedule:
Day1:
1. Welcome! Class Expectations and Course Outline
2. “What Would You Do?” Activity
3. HW: Read “A Letter to the Psychology Student” (pg 2 of
Course Packet (CP)). Be ready to discuss what you found to be
the most interesting statements/questions of psychology from the
article. In addition, read over “Course Outline & Expectations”
document and complete the last page to turn in the next class
period.
Day 2:
1. Questions???
2. Psych as a Science:
a. Review “A Letter to the Psychology Student” (pg 2 CP)
b. Candid Camera Clip
c. Fact/Falsehood (pgs 3-4 CP)
3. HW: Read “Perspectives of Psychology” (pgs 5-12 CP) & fill in “Contemporary Psychological Perspectives
Graphic Organizer” (pgs 13-15 CP) as thoroughly as possible.
Day 3:
1. Access code for eBook + Note-Taking Requirements
2. Perspectives of Psychology
a. Optical Illusions
b. Review Graphic Organizer
c. Human Behavior Case Studies
3. HW: Read “Prologue” of eBook (Prologue Intro, P.1, and P.2) and take notes (follow instructions given in
class about requirements for notes).
Day 4:
1. Review Human Behavior Case Studies (pgs 16-18 CP)
2. H I-4: Survey of Enduring Issues (pgs 19-22 CP)
3. HW: Read CH 14 Intro and 14.1 of eBook. Take notes.
“Calling 9/11 senseless, mindless, insane, or
the work of madmen is wrong…it fails to
adopt the perspective of the perpetrators, as
an act with a clearly defined purpose that we
must understand in order to challenge it most
effectively.”
Philip Zimbardo, Psychology Department
Chair, Stanford University
Day 5:
1.
2.
3.
4.
H16-1: Fact or Falsehood? (pg 24 CP)
H16-2: Attribution Scale (pgs 31-32 CP)
Human Behavior Experiments Video
HW: Read 14.2 Intro, 14.2.1 and 14.2.2 of eBook and take
notes. In addition, complete Psychsim “Everybody’s Doing
It!” (pg 33 CP)
“Have you ever noticed how on example-good
or bad-can prompt others to follow? How one
legally parked car can give permission for
others to do likewise? How one racial joke can
fuel another?”
Marian Wright Edelman,
The Measure of our Success, 1992
Day 6:
1. Human Behavior Experiments Video Cont…
a. Obedience: Read article “Culture of Shock” (pgs 34-38 CP)
b. Bystander Effect: Read articles “Gang Rape Raises Questions about Bystanders’ Role” and “Case
Studies in Helping” (pgs 44-46 CP)
c. Role Playing
2. HW: Read 14.2.3 and 14.3.4 of eBook and take notes. In addition, read and annotate article “Groupthink:
Taking Easy Way out of a Tough Decision” (pgs 40-41 CP). Add notes from article to eBook notes.
Day 7:
1. Group Influence
a. Read article “Why Bridge Jumper Was
Taunted?” (pg 39 CP)
b. Festinger and Carlsmith Experiment
2. HW: Read 14.3 Intro and 14.3.1 of eBook and
take notes. In addition, get ready for
upcoming quiz.
Day 8:
1. QUIZ
2. Lab E108
a. Complete PsychSim “Not My Type” (pg
52 CP) and IAT “Identifying our own
Hidden Biases” (pg 60 CP)
3. HW: Finish lab activities. In addition, skim
through the article “Buried Prejudice” (pgs 5359 CP) to better understand the idea of implicit
biases.
Day 9:
1. Prejudice and Discrimination
a. Review PsychSim “Not My Type” and IAT
b. 20/20 video clip on stereotypes and prejudice
2. HW: NO HW
Day 10:
1. Prejudice and Discrimination Cont…
a. Read article “Why Penn State Students Rioted – They Deify Joe Paterno” (pgs 63-64 CP)
b. H16-10: Just World Scale (pgs 61-62 CP)
2. HW: Read sections 14.3.2 of eBook and take notes.
Day 11:
1. H 16-11: Aggressiveness Questionnaire (pg 47 CP)
2. Aggression video clips: bullying, Fried Green Tomatoes, Bobo Doll
Experiment
3. HW: Read 14.3.5 of eBook and take notes. In addition, complete
Psychsim “Social Decision Making” (pgs 48-50 CP)
“Why do we kill people to show
people that killing people is wrong?”
National Coalition to Abolish the
Death Penalty
Day 12:
1. Unit Review: GBN Hazing Application
a. Goals of Psych (pgs 25-26 CP)
b. Read article “Little Girls Are Made of Pig Guts and Beer” (pgs 29-30 CP)
c. Answer EQ #1 at the top of this HW Calendar [Complete the sample outline of EQ format (pgs 27-28
CP)]
2. Read section 14.3.3 of eBook and take notes. In addition, complete PsychQuest “How Do We Pick our
Mates?”
Day 13:
1. Love and Attractiveness
a. H16-15: Love Attitudes Scale (pg 72 CP)
b. Read and annotate article “Why We Love?” (pgs 73-78 CP)
c. Answer EQ #6
2. Work on Study Guide
3. HW: Study for exam.
Day 14:
Unit #1 Exam