AP Psychology 2015
Welcome to AP Psychology! I am excited that you have decided to take the
course. For those of you who may know me, I have a Bachelor’s degree in English,
but you may not know that I have a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling
and Applied Psychology. I hope you are very excited about the course next year,
and although there is a lot to learn, there will be many in class opportunities to
explore everything you always wanted to know about psychology.
In addition to reading Chapter 1, I have included the learning objectives, study
guide questions, and a list of key terms. These are for your own use to make sure
you are focusing on the necessary material in the chapter. For your assignment,
you will work in a group to present a Google Slides presentation of one of the
psych perspectives that we will revisit in each unit. These perspectives are
addressed in every chapter and will help to begin to get you ready for the AP
Exam that will happen next May 2016! We will always be thinking ahead to
connect concepts and ideas.
Here are the directions for the summer assignment:
You and a group of classmates (3 per group) will choose one of the Big 7
perspectives in psychology to present a Google Slides PowerPoint. This is also
due on the first day of school, so we may begin our discussion on perspectives.
First, send me your email address at iaconellim@cinnaminson.com, so I can send
you an invite to our Edmodo group over the summer. You can coordinate your
groups and pick which of the Big 7 Perspectives you would like to choose. It will
be first come, first served! We can chat about any questions you are having or
start any discussions about material that interests you.

After your group chooses a perspective, read the case study and answer the
following question:
o Jing is a 12-year-old-girl who has just moved to the United States from
china. She is struggling academically and socially, and she has trouble
learning the traditions and expecatations of her new home. She has
become withdrawn and moody. However, she has always enjoyed painting,
and art class is the one thing that still bring a smile to her face.
o Discuss how your chosen perspective would explain Jing’s behavior.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at any time over the
summer and enjoy your break!
Sincerely,
Ms. Iaconelli
AP Psychology Textbook
Our textbook is online. I will issue you a book as well in the fall. There is also a
website that accompanies our textbook full of resources and study aids. To access
our text go to www.mypsychlab.com. Follow the directions on the pdf in this
packet.
You also need the access code, which is
SSNAST-FLUFF-GRAND-SOUGH-TANIS-ESEBO for student access. Once you
are online, you can click on Chapter 1 on the website and there are flashcards you
can download on your phone along with a chapter study guide and practice tests.
Please make use of these resources before you use other apps like Quizlet because
the definitions on the website are the same that will be used on our tests and this
is aligned with the AP Exam.
Chapter 1 Overview
Chapter 1 explains the limits of intuition and common sense in reasoning about behavior
and mental processes. To counteract our human tendency toward faulty reasoning,
psychologist adopt a scientific attitude that is based on healthy skepticism, open-minded
humility, and critical thinking. Chapter 1 also explains how psychologists employ the
research designs of description, correlation, and experimentation in order to objectively
describe, predict, and explain behavior. Chapter 1 concludes with a discussion of several
questions people often ask of psychology, including why animal research is relevant,
whether laboratory experiments are ethical, whether behavior varies with gender, and
whether psychology’s principles don’t have the potential for misuse.
This chapter introduces a number of concepts that will play an important role in later
chapters. Pay particular attention to the section “Research Strategies.” Make sure you
understand the method of experimentation, especially the importance of control
conditions and the difference between independent and dependent variables.
AP Learning Objectives for Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology
By the end of our work in this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
I. History and Approaches
1. Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of psychological
thought.
2. Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years; Gestaly,
psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later; evolutionary,
biological, and cognitive as more contemporary approaches.
3. Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
4. Distinguish the different domains of psychology: biological, clinical, cognitive,
counseling, developmental, educational, experimental, human factors,
industrial–organizational, personality, psychometric, and social.
5. Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins,
Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James,
Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F. Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn,
John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt).
II. Research Methods
1. Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey
research, naturalistic observations, and case studies) with regard to purpose,
strengths, and weaknesses.
2. Describe how research design drives the reasonable conclusions that can be drawn
(e.g., experiments are useful for determining cause and effect; the use of
experimental controls reduces alternative explanations).
3. Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in
experimental designs.
4. Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in
experiments and random selection of participants, primarily in correlational studies
and surveys.
5. Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research
design (e.g., confounding variables limit confidence in research conclusions).
6. Distinguish the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
7. Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and constructing
graphs and calculating simple descriptive statistics (e.g., measures of central
tendency, standard deviation).
8. Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in
behavioral research.
9. Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
10. Describe how ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., those provided by the American
Psychological Association, federal regulations, local institutional review boards)
protect research participants and promote sound ethical practice.
Study Questions: For your own use. You do not have to answer these.
1.1 What defines psychology as a field of study and what are psychology’s four primary
goals?
1.2 How did structuralism and functionalism differ, and who were the important people
in those early fields?
1.3 What were the basic ideas and who were the important people behind the early
approaches known as Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism?
1.4 What are the basic ideas behind the seven modern perspectives, as well as the
important contributions of Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers?
1.5 How does a psychiatrist differ from a psychologist, and what are the other types of
professionals who work in the various areas of psychology?
1.6 Why is psychology considered a science, and what are the steps in using the scientific
method?
1.7 How are naturalistic and laboratory settings used to describe behavior, and what are
some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with these settings?
1.8 How are case studies and surveys used to describe behavior, and what are some
drawbacks to each of these methods?
1.9 What is the correlational technique, and what does it tell researchers about
relationships?
1.10 How are operational definitions, independent and dependent variables,
experimental and control groups, and random assignment used in designing an
experiment?
1.11 How do the placebo and experimenter effect cause problems in an experiment, and
how can single-blind and double-blind studies control for these effects?
1.12 What are the basic elements of Amabile’s creativity experiment?
1.13 What are some ethical concerns that can occur when conducting research with
people and animals?
1.14 What are the basic principles of critical thinking, and how can critical thinking be
useful in everyday life?
Key Terms and notable figures:
Using information from the chapter, write a brief definition or explanation of each of the
following. Do this after or while reading the assigned chapter.
1. 4 primary goals of psychology
2. critical thinking
3. hindsight bias
4. theory
5. hypothesis
6. case study
7. survey
8. false consensus effect
9. population
10. random sample
11. naturalistic observation
12. correlations
13. experimental design
14. random assignment
15. independent variable
16. dependent variable
17. placebo effect
18. single blind study
19. double-blind study
20. Steps of the Scientific Method
21. Descriptive and inferential statistics
22. Structuralism
23. Functionalism
24. Evolutionary
25. Gestalt
26. Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic
27. Behaviorism
28. Cognitivism
29. Humanism
30. Biopsychosocial
31. Eclectic perspective
32. Ethical concerns of psychological research
33. Different fields of psychology and psychiatry
34. List and define 7 modern perspectives
35. Critical thinking
36. Amabile’s creativity experiment
37. Mary Whiton Calkins
38. Charles Darwin
39. Abraham Maslow
40. Dorothea Dix
41. Sigmund Freud
42. G. Stanley Hall
43. William James
44. Ivan Pavlov
45. Jean Piaget
46. Carl Rogers
47. B. F. Skinner
48. Margaret Floy Washburn
49. John B. Watson
50. Wilhelm Wundt