Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
th
th
11 and 12 Grade Experimental Psychology and Honors Experimental Psychology
Course Description:
This class builds on concepts learned in General Psychology. Students will use research
methods, statistics, and technical writing skills to design and conduct psychological
experiments. Students will use reading and writing strategies for the content area, use
research and information skills, and actively engage in evaluation, analysis and synthesis
of psychological experiments.
A student may complete this course for honors credit. In addition to the lessons and
assessments in this course, a student taking the course for honors credit will be expected
to complete an additional honors activity with a presentation each quarter, independent
research and report writing, and self-reflection on primary sources used as part of the
independent research. Emphasis will be placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills
as well as essay writing, interpretation of primary and secondary source documents, and
the creation of a project which synthesizes the learning. A student will use additional
technology than that required for non-honors classes and present his research to the class.
Successful completion of both Honors General Psychology and Honors Experimental
Psychology will prepare a student for the AP Psychology exam.
Course Materials:
Psychology, Worth Publishers
Doing Psychology Experiments, Brooks/Cole Publishing
Activities Handbook for the Teaching of Psychology, Volumes 1-4, APA Publishing
“Secrets of the Mind,” NOVA
“Secrets of the Wild Child,” NOVA
Course Expectations:
Gather, analyze and apply information and ideas
Recognize and solve problems
Make decisions and act as responsible members of society
Read articles pertaining to the content being studied
Read one non-fiction book pertaining to the content being studied
Interpret primary and secondary sources
Complete a research paper
Weekly homework assigned
Ongoing formative assessments to drive instruction
Ongoing summative assessments
District common assessments
Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
th
th
11 and 12 Grade Experimental Psychology and Honors Experimental Psychology
Sample Course Activities:
Identify and practice each part of the scientific method as it pertains to psychological
testing. (Unit 1)
Collect, organize and analyze data using statistical tools. (Unit 2)
Write an opinion essay defending a position on whether or not an individual should know
his IQ score. (Unit 3)
Write a diary entry assuming the role of a person experiencing cognitive dissonance (Unit
4)
Use technology and other resources to research optical illusions and create a presentation
(Unit 5)
Use reading strategies to read an excerpt on Solomon Asch’s experiment on social
psychology. (Unit 6)
Research information on the four types of learning and use the information to conduct an
experiment. (Unit 7)
Additional sample honors activities:
The student will complete independent research and create additional experiments. The
independent research will include interpretation of primary and secondary sources and
the student will write a self-reflection of these sources. The additional experiments will
be presented to the class.
Course Outline:
Unit 1: Introduction into Experimental Design
a. Study of each part of the scientific method
b. Independent practice of the scientific method
Unit 2: Statistics
a. Frequency distribution
b. Histogram
c. Mean
d. Median
e. Mode
f. Range
g. Standard deviation
h. Variance
i. Descriptive statistics
j. Normal distribution
k. Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation
l. Spearman Rank Order Coefficient of Correlation
m. Inferential statistics
Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
Unit 3: Mental Testing and Intelligence
a. IQ tests
b. Intelligence
c. Mental retardation
Unit 4: Motivation
a. Instincts
b. Drives
c. Social motives
d. Basic human needs
e. Margaret and Harry Harlow’s experiment
Unit 5: Sensation and Perception
a. Sensation: adaptation, deprivation, overload
b. Structures of the eye
c. Stereoscopic vision
d. Monocular and binocular depth cues
e. Optical illusions
f. Human auditory system
g. Olfaction and gestation
Unit 6: Social Psychology
a. Cognitive dissonance
b. Stanley Milgram’s experiment
c. Solomon Asch’s experiment
Unit 7: Introduction to Learning
a. Trial and error
b. Classical Conditioning
c. Insight learning
d. Operant conditioning
Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
11th and 12th Grade Experimental Psychology and Honors Experimental Psychology
Course Curriculum Map:
Unit 1: Introduction into Experimental Design
The student will demonstrate the use of the scientific method. The student will research, conduct
good observational skills, develop inferences, write a testable hypothesis which includes a
dependent and independent variable, identifies the control and experimental group, design and
conduct experiments. (SS7.1, SS7.5)
2 weeks
Unit 2: Statistics
The student will demonstrate and explain statistical tools (descriptive, correlational and
inferential) associated with research in psychology. Workplace readiness will also be assessed.
(SS7.1, SS7.5)
3 weeks
Unit 3: Mental Testing and Intelligence
Working in pairs and using technology and other resources, the student will research, create, and
administer an IQ test and report the findings in writing including gender, racial, and ethnic bias
associated with such testing and disability labels attached. (SS7.1, SS7.5)
2 weeks
Unit 4: Motivation
The student will analyze the types of motivating factors in human behavior by creating and
conducting an experiment. (SS6.4, SS7.1, SS7.5)
2 weeks
Unit 5: Sensation and Perception
Using two forms of technology and two other media presentation resources, the student will
analyze the difference between sensation and perception and the way that the brain and mind
processes each. (SS7.1, SS7.4, SS7.5)
3 weeks
Unit 6: Social Psychology
The student will research, design, and conduct an experiment to analyze ways in which social
psychology is used in culture and society including gender and ethnicity. (SS6.2, SS7.5)
2 weeks
Unit 7: Introduction to Learning
The student will conduct an experiment on one of the four types of learning: trial and error
learning, classical conditioning, insight learning, and operant conditioning. (SS6.1, SS7.1, SS7.5)
2 weeks
Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
11th and 12th Grade Experimental Psychology and Honors Experimental Psychology
Course Lesson Protocol:
High School Social Studies Lesson Plan Protocol
Teacher______________________________
Time
5%
Lesson Segment
Anticipatory Set
25%
Modeled Activity;
Direct Instruction
60%
Cooperative
Student Work;
Independent
Practice
10%
Summarization of
Lesson
Date________________
Activity
Hazelwood School District
Secondary Common Syllabus
2008-09
11th and 12th Grade Experimental Psychology and Honors Experimental Psychology
Course Power Vocabulary:’
Classical conditioning
Cognitive dissonance
Confidence levels
Conflict situations
Control group
Correlational research experiment
Correlational statistics
Data
Dependent variable
Descriptive statistics
Experiment
Experimental group
Frequency distribution
Hypothesis
Independent variable
Inferences
Inferential statistics
Insight learning
IQ tests
Mean
Median
Mode
Motivation
Normal distribution
null hypothesis
Obedience to authority
Operant conditioning
Perception
Primary drives
Range
Scatter plots
Scientific method
Sensation
Social motives
Social psychology
Standard deviation
Standardized scores
Statistical significance
Trial and error
Variance