AP Psychology - Course Syllabus 2013-2014
Instructor:
Kathy Nelsen, 770-862-8772 (cell), appsychology@gmail.com
Class website: http://lhsblogs.typepad.com/nelsen
The website includes many links to critical information about the course, including the reading schedule,
textbook review materials, online practice quizzes, etc. Access to a computer is essential, so students may need
to make plans to use the school media center for some activities if they do not have home access to a computer.
Facebook: To receive reminders about the class, please “like” Lassiter AP Psych on Facebook.
Textbook:
Myers, David G. Psychology, Eighth Edition. Worth Publishers, New York, NY, 2007. A
helpful, free website accompanies our textbook and can be accessed at www.worthpublishers.com/myers8e.
This site (from the publisher) has activities and simulations for the more challenging concepts, as well as selfquizzing to help you prepare for exams.
Course Description:
The purpose of the Advanced Placement course in Psychology is to introduce students to the study of human
behavior and mental processes. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena
associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the methods
psychologists use in their science and practice. A complete description of the course can be found on the
website at http://lhsblogs.typepad.com/nelsen.
Differentiated instruction is integral to this course because the learning styles of students vary. Not all
students or classes will be doing the same thing at the same time. Assignments may vary from student to
student or class to class to ensure that students have the opportunity to explore, create and apply themselves
as we learn the complexities of the field of psychology.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will prepare to accomplish a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam.
2. Students will study the major core concepts and theories of psychology. They will be able to define
key terms and apply them in their everyday vocabulary.
3. Students will learn the basic skills of psychological research. They will be able to plan research
projects, interpret and generalize from results, and evaluate the validity of research reports.
4. Students will be able to apply psychological concepts to their own lives. They will be able to use
their knowledge of psychological principles to more effectively deal with such life challenges as
stress, pessimism, conflict resolution, etc.
5. Students will develop reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Grading:
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Major grades (55%): Unit exams, each worth 100 points, covering all material presented in class
and in the reading assignments. The mid-term exam will count as two major test grades.
Final exam (15%): Cumulative exam covering all material up to the point of the exam.
Minor grades (25%): Include assignments such as chapter quizzes (announced), reading notes,
and others as assigned by the instructor.
Participation (5%): Grade is attained by completing reading daily. A quiz grade of 100 will be
awarded for completing daily handwritten reading notes. Typed notes are not accepted.
Optional grades: Some assignments are recommended, but will be graded only when students
elect to participate in the assignment. These assignments may include major and minor grades:
projects, retests, reading assignments, movie evaluations, blog entries, test corrections, etc.
The AP Psychology Exam:
Monday, May 5, 2014 (noon)
The AP exam in Psychology is two hours in length and includes 100 multiple-choice questions and two
free response questions. The multiple-choice section accounts for two-thirds of the student’s examination
grade with the free response section making up the remaining one-third. The cost of the exam is estimated to
be $89.
AP Psychology - Course Outline
Unit
% of questions on AP test
Textbook Chapter(s)
I. Personality and Health
(5-7%)
Chapters 14 & 15
Videos: Disc. Psych (#14) The Mind Hidden and Divided, (#15) The Self, (#23) Health, Mind, and Behavior
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#21) Emotions, Stress, & Health, (#22) Stress: Locus of Control
II. Learning & Memory
(12-15%)
Chapters 8 & 9
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#8) Learning, (#9) Remembering & Forgetting
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#16) The Locus of Learning & Memory, (#17) Learning as Synaptic
Change, (#18) Living with Amnesia: The Hippocampus & Memory
III. Developmental Psychology
(7-9%)
Chapter 4
Videos: Disc. Psych (#5) The Developing Child
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#2) The Effects of Hormones and the Environment on Brain Dev’t
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#12) Teratogens (#13) Capabilities of the Newborn, (#14) Infant
Cognitive Dev’t, (#15) Social Development in Infancy, (#16) The Effect of Aging on Cognitive
Function
MID-TERM Exam (counts as two major test grades)
IV. Biological Bases of Behavior
(8-10%)
Chapter 2 & 3
Videos: Disc. Psych (#3) The Behaving Brain, (#4) The Responsive Brain, (#13) The Mind Awake & Asleep
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#5) The Divided Brain, (#6) Language and Speech, (#18) Living
with Amnesia, (#24) Aggression, Violence, and the Brain
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#5) Endorphins, (#10&11) Clive Wearing
Awakenings (PG-13) Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro
V. History and Research
(10-14%)
Prologue, Ch. 1
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#1) Past, Present, and Promise, (#2) Understanding Research
VI. Sensation and Perception
(6-8%)
Chapters 5 & 6
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#7) Sensation and Perception
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#8) Visual Processing: Elem., (#9) Visual Processing: Perception
(#10) Perception: Inverted Vision, (#11) Sensory-Motor Integration
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#20) Phantom Limb Pain, (#21) Treating Chronic Pain
FINAL EXAM (cumulative over units I – VI)
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Parent homework (due Monday, August 12):
Please go to the class blog at http://lhsblogs.typepad.com/nelsen and click the email link. Please
put your child’s full name and class period in the subject line of the email. Indicate in the body
of the email that you have reviewed and approve the class syllabus (a complete copy is available
on the blog). Also include the following information in the text of your email: student’s name,
parent(s) name(s), cell phone number(s), work phone number(s), and any other information that
you believe is important.
While you’re at the blog, you might want to click some of the links to the left that show you the
topics we will cover this year. You might feel some nostalgia as you remember your college Intro
to Psych class! 
Topics to be covered second semester
VII. States of Consciousness
(2-4%)
Chapter 7
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#13) The Mind Awake & Asleep
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#13) Sleep & Circadian Rhythms, (#14) Sleep: Brain Functions,
(#15) REM Sleep & Dreaming
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#2) Hypnotic Dissociation & Pain Relief, (#9) Subliminal
Stimulation, (#22) Depressants and their Addictive Effect on the Brain, (#29) Alcohol Addiction
VIII. Motivation and Emotion
(6-8%)
Chapters 12 & 13
Video: Discovering Psychology (#12) Motivation and Emotion
IX. Cognition & Intelligence
(10-12%)
Chapters 10 & 11
Videos: Discovering Psych (#10) Cognitive Processes, (#11) Judgment & Decision Making,
(#16) Testing & Intelligence, (#6) Language Development
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#8) Language Processing (#24) Language Predisposition, (#26) The
Bilingual Brain, (#27) Animal Language
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#4) Intelligence & Culture
X. Psychological Disorders
and Treatments
(7-9%)
(5-7%)
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#21) Psychopathology, (#22) Psychotherapy
The Brain: Teaching Modules (#23) Multiple Personality, (#26, 27, 28) Schizophrenia, (#29)
Autism
The Mind: Teaching Modules (#30) Treating Drug Addiction, (#31) Mood Disorders: Mania &
Depression, (#32) Hereditary Factors, (#33) Medication & Talk Therapy, (#34) ECT, (#35)
Psychopaths
XI. Social Psychology
(8-10%)
Chapter 18
Videos: Discovering Psychology (#19) The Power of the Situation, (#20) Constructing Social Reality
XII. Review for AP Examination – 3 weeks
After extensive review, students will take a practice full-length AP practice exam that will count as two
major test grades. The exams will be scored in the same way that an AP exam is scored the scale will be
as follows: high 5 – 100, low 5 – 95, high 4 – 90, medium 4 – 85, low 4 – 80, high 3 – 78, medium 3
– 75, low 3 – 70, 2 – 65, 1 – 60.