AP Psychology
Mr. Cassady
Email: ccassady@bethlehemhigh.org
Course Description:
 This course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the
behavior and mental processes of human beings and animals. Students will explore the inner
workings of. As well, students will ascertain various psychological facts, principles, and
phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Ideally, students will
also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their everyday fields of study.
Class Materials:
st
 AP Psychology text book (Myers’ Psychology for AP 1 Edition; ISBN#=1-429-26588-4)
 Replacement cost for AP Text Book= $120!!!
 AP Psychology Crash Course= You must purchase for $10-11
 Handouts
 Student class notebook (3 subject or larger, seriously)
 Student class folder
AP Course Outline:
I.
II.
Psychology; History &
Approaches;
A. History of Psychology- Greeks,
Empiricism, Wundt, Freud,
Jung, etc.
B. Schools of PsychologyCompare & Contrast;
Structuralism, Functionalism &
Psychoanalysis
C. Focus on principal approaches
D. Behavioral, Biological,
Humanistic, Cognitive,
Psychodynamic &
Sociocultural
E. Identifying major
psychological subfields of
study
Research Methodologies;
A. Describe & Define the 4
Psychological Goals;
Describe,
Control, Predict
& Explain
B. Experimental Methods
Sampling
Control
Correlational
Methods
i. Naturalistic
Observation
ii. Survey
iii. Case Studies
C.
Flaws in Experimental
Research
Experimenter
Bias
Placebo Effect
Confounding
Variables
D. Statistics
Descriptive &
Inferential
III.
IV.
Biological Bases of Behavior;
A. Comparing the
interrelationship between
Behavior & Biology (Nature vs.
Nurture)
B. Nervous System Functioning;
Examining the
organization &
functions of
neurons,
neurotransmitter
s, synapses, etc.
C. Methods of Brain of
Diagnostics; EEG, MRI, FMRI,
CAT, PET
D. Identifying & Examining key
structures of the brain; ex:
examining behavioral genetics
in relation to family, twin &
adoption studies.
Sensation & Perception;
A. Absolute & Difference
Threshold
B.
Fechner’s, Weber’s Law, &
Stevens Power Law
C. Signal-Detection Theory
a. Hit, Miss, False Alarm, Correct
Rejection
D. Discussing the Concept of
Sensory Adaptation
E. Identifying sensation
successions for smell, touch,
vision, taste, & hearing
 Accessory structures
 Transduction
 Thalamus relay
 Brain Perception
V.
VI.
-
Positive
Reinforcement
Negative
Reinforcement
Punishment (+ &
-)
Extinction
C. Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed-Ratio
Fixed-Interval
Variable-Ratio
Variable-Interval
D. Observational Learning/Vicarious
Conditioning
Bandura’s- “Bobo
Doll”
States of Consciousness;
A. Define Consciousness
B. Sleep Stages; Non-Rem vs.
REM
Functions of
Sleep
Sleep Cycles
Identifying
specific sleep
disorders
C. Dreaming
Theories (origins
of study- Freud)
D. Hypnosis
Altered state
theories
E. Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants
Opiates
Stimulants
Psychedelics
Learning;
A. Classical Conditioning
Pavlov’s
Experiment
(Pavlov &
Zimbardo
experiments)
Taste Aversion
(ex: taste
aversion skittles
activity)
Little Albert
Phobias (ex:
arachnophobia)
B. Operant Conditioning- B.F. Skinner
(ex: pigeon experiments)
E.
Define and Describe the 3 basic
memory processes
Encoding;
Semantic,
Acoustic, Visual
Storage;
Episodic,
Procedural,
Semantic
Retrieval; Recall
& Recognition
F.
Distinguish between:
 Implicit & Explicit
memory
 Declarative & Procedural
Memory
 Episodic & Semantic
Memory
G. Describe the various measures of
forgetting
 Decay
 Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting
Curve
VII.
Cognition;
A. Mental Representations:
Ingredients of Thought
Cognitive Maps
Schemas
Artificial &
Natural Concepts
B. Thinking Strategies
Formal & Informal Reasoning
C.
Identifying Problem Solving
Strategies
Obstacles to
Problem Solving
Decision-Making
D. Identifying the elements of
language
Understanding
Speech
Stages of
Language
Development
How Language is
acquired
Influence of prior
knowledge and
culture on
language
VIII.
Motivation & Emotion;
A. Sources of Motivation
Biological,
Emotional,
Cognitive, Social
B. Compare & Contrast theoretical
perspectives on motivation
Instinct, Drive,
Incentive,
Arousal Theories
C. Hunger and Eating
Biological
Signals- role of
the
hypothalamus
Flavor, Cultural
learning on food
selection
D. Eating Disorders
Obesity,
Anorexia, Bulimia
E. Achievement Motivation
Identifying the
differences
between men
and women in
need for
achievement
Achievement &
Success in the
Workplace
F. Maslow’s Hierarchy
Physiological
Needs
-
Safety Needs
Belongingness &
Love
Esteem
Self-Actualization
G. Nature of Emotion
Identifying the
biology of
Emotion
“Fight or Flight”
response
H. Compare & Contrast the theories
of emotion
James-Lange
Theoryperception of
peripheral
responses
Cannon-Bard
Theory- Central
Nervous System
Schachter-Singer
Theory- Cognitive
Interpretation
IX.
Developmental Psychology;
A. Discussing Development over the
Life Span
Prenatal
Development
Newborn
Infancy &
Childhood
 Piaget’s
Stages of
Cognitive
Developmen
t
Puberty
 Erikson’s
Stages of
Psychosocial
Developmen
t
B. Identifying Kohlberg’s stages of
Moral Development
C. Evaluating Kubler-Ross’s research
on death & dying
X.
Personality;
A. Psychodynamic Approach
B.
Freud- Id, ego,
superego
Psychosexual
Stages
Adler, Jung,
Fromm, Erikson
C.
Trait Approach
-
Allport’s Trait
Theory
Cattell’s FactorAnalytic
Approach
Eysenck’s
Biological Trait
Theory
 Big 5 Model
of
Personality
C. Cognitive-Behavioral Approach
Rotter’s
Expectancy
Theory
Bandura &
reciprocal
determinism
Mischel’s personsituation theory
D. Phenomenological Approach
Roger’s selftheory
Maslow’s
Humanistic
Psychology
E. Assessing Personality
Objective Tests
 MMPI, NEOPI-R
F. Projective Tests
Rorschach
Inkblot Test
Thematic
Apperception
Test
XI.
B.
Testing & Individual Differences;
A. Testing & Individual
Differences
Discussion
standardization
and norms
Checking a test
for reliability and
validity
Use of Various types of tests
Ethics in testing
Q TestingHistory and
evolution of
Nature vs. Nurture
Identifying the
effects of
genetics &
environment on
intelligence
XII & XIII. Abnormal Behavior & Treatment
of Abnormal Behavior;
A. What is abnormal behavior?
B. Explanations of Psychological
Disorders
1. Supernatural Influences
2. Biological Factors
3. Psychological Processes
4. Sociocultural Context
5. Diathesis-Stress
C. Classifying Psychological
Disorders
Explaining the 5
major axes of
DSM-IV
D. Anxiety Disorders
Types & CausesBiological and
Cognitive
E. Somatoform Disorders
Biological &
Cognitive
F. Dissociative Disorders
Biological &
Cognitive
G. Mood Disorders
Biological &
Cognitive
H. Depressive Disorders
Bipolar
I. Schizophrenia
Symptoms,
Treatments,
Types, Causes
J. Personality Disorders
K.
Discussing Mental Illness & the
Law-
-
1.
2.
3.
The Insanity
Defense
(legitimate?)
L. Identifying the Difference
between a Psychiatrist &
Psychologist
M. Treatment of Psychological
Disorders
Psychodynamic
Psychotherapy“talking cure”
Phenomenologic
al Psychotherapy
Client-Centered
Therapy- Rogers
Behavior Therapy
CognitiveBehavior Therapy
i. RETEllis
ii. Cognitiv
e
Restruct
uringBeck
N. Types of Therapy
Group
Family
Couples
XIV. Social Psychology;
Describing how each of the
following contributes to impression
Physical
Appearance
Schemas
Stereotypes
Social Perception
Schemas
First Impressions
AttributionSources
FundamentalAttribution Error
A. Attitudes
Forming and
Changing of
Attitudes
CognitiveDissonance
B. Prejudice and Stereotypes
TheoriesMotivational,
C.
Cognitive,
Learning
How can we
reduce prejudice
Interpersonal Attraction
Keys to Attraction
-
Environment,
Similarity,
Proximity,
Physical
Attractiveness
D. Triangular Theory of Love
Intimacy,
Passion,
Commitment
What makes a
strong marriage?
E. Social Influence
Norms and Deindividuation
F.
Examining Stanley Milgram’s Studies on
Obedience
G. Asch’s Conformity Study- Why and When
people conform
H. Group Behavior
Conformity &
Compliance
Bystander Effect
(why does this
occur in larger
groups?)
I.
Aggression
-
J.
Why are people
aggressive?
Genetic &
Learned
mechanisms
When are people
aggressive?
Altruism and helping behavior
Why do people help?
-
K.
Arousal; costreward theory
Empathy;
Altruism Theory
Evolutionary
Theory
Cooperation, Competition, and Conflict
-
-
Prisoner’s
Dilemma
(Stockholm
Syndrome &
Zimbardo
Studies)
Social Dilemma
L.
Fostering
Cooperation
Interpersonal
Conflict
Group Processes
Group leadership- Task & personoriented