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AP Psychology
2011-2012 Syllabus
Instructor Information
Mr. Jonathan Tietz
jtietz@irsd.k12.de.us
302-934-3166
Course Description:
AP Psychology is designed to introduce students to the scientific study of the behavior and mental
processes of human beings. To accomplish this, the course provides instruction in each of the
following 14 content areas: History and Approaches, Research Methods, Biological Bases of
Behavior, Sensation and Perception, States of Consciousness, Learning, Cognition, Motivation
and Emotion, Developmental Psychology, Personality, Testing and Individual Differences,
Abnormal Psychology, Treatment of Psychological Disorders, and Social Psychology.
In an effort to make budding psychologists out of you, the course will stress the need to think like
a psychologist. As author and social psychologist, David Myers, notes, to think like a psychologist
one must “restrain intuition with critical thinking, judgmentalism with compassion, and illusion
with understanding.” (Sternberg, 1997). Whether you choose to pursue a career in psychology or
in some entirely different field, this habit of mind will be of great value.
Course Expectations:
1. We learn from each other: The AP course is not one in which you play a passive role, simply
absorbing information presented by the teacher. You will be asked to take an active part in
forming your own questions and analysis. In the AP classroom, discussion and demonstrations
will dominate so that we can learn from each other. Each of you brings something special to
the course and no one will stop me from hearing this.
2. Knowledge for application’s sake: In AP Psychology there are a considerable amount of
terms and concepts you must master. However, you must do more than memorize information
provided by myself or other sources. You will be asked to apply this information to real life
situations via class discussions or through concisely written free response questions.
3. Psychologists read: As AP students, you will be expected to do a considerable amount of
daily reading in the text. You must show evidence of daily preparation by participating in
class, answering questions from the instructor, and asking cogent questions.
4. Active note taking: The amount of material distributed in this course is substantially higher
than in a regular class. Each period you are expected to take notes on our class activities, and
create rough drafts for your concept maps as you read. You will need access to this material in
order to study for the unit exams and the AP exam. Therefore, each student in this course must
have a 3 ring binder for class, a notebook for concept map rough drafts, and a year-in-review
Portfolio.
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5. A College-Level Effort: This course is designed to replace an introductory college
Psychology class. Therefore, I will expect college study habits from all of you. Assignments
will not be accepted after the due date, and you are expected to actively study the subject
matter on a regular basis, even in the absence of impending assignments. A lack of time and
effort given outside the classroom will make it difficult for you to be successful in this course.
The Core Five Course Goals:
1. Mastery of the foundational concepts and terms in the field of Psychology. – Through
elaborative rehearsal and by graphically developing hierarchical schemas, you will amass this
foundation throughout the year.
2. The ability to graphically represent complex concepts or multifaceted units of study. –
Anyone can make an outline, but it requires true understanding of a concept or unit to be able
to draw a diagram showing the structure and relationship of its constituent parts. You will
leave this course with a new ability to quickly and cogently arrange your thoughts graphically
3. The ability to apply those complex concepts or multifaceted units of study in discussion
and written work. – You will leave this course able to both analyze and interpret a problem,
apply relevant information, and craft a well-supported oral argument or concisely written
response.
4. The insight to relate Psychology to your life – Application does not stop once you pass the
classroom’s threshold. The behavior and mental processes we study shape our existence.
Through the daily offer of ‘Psych Immersions,’ you will constantly look for psychological
applications in your life.
5. The ability to think like a psychologist - to “restrain intuition with critical thinking,
judgmentalism with compassion, and illusion with understanding.” (Sternberg, 1997).
Course Materials
Text:
Zimbardo, Philip G. et al. Psychology: AP* Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson: A and B.
ISBN-978-0-13-196070-1
www.schspsychology.wikispaces.com
Assessment: Point System
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Unit Exams (100pts each) - At the end of each unit you will take a unit exam consisting of AP-style multiple
choice questions, and Free Response Questions taken exclusively from past AP exams. In essence, by the time
May comes along, you will have taken 12 mini AP exams.
Concept Maps (50pts each) – For each unit you will develop concept maps that graphically organize the
information.
Unit Projects (100-200pts each) – For each unit, you will be asked to apply the content area to your life. While
they will take many forms, from designing a research project to keeping your own dream journal, they will
necessitate the internalization of course content.
Hock: Case Study Reflections (100pts each) – Each unit you will be given a written case study to analyze and
reflect upon. These cases are considered among the most important studies ever conducted in the field of
psychology. Directions for completion of these papers will be distributed separately from the syllabus.
Vocabulary/Reading Quizzes (25-50pts each)– Quizzes will be a regular part of the course, given at varying
times throughout the unit to ensure understanding.
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Flash Cards (50pts each) – You will be required to create flash cards during each unit, which you will use
throughout the year.
6.
Evidence of Compliance with College Board
AP Psychology Curricular Requirements
College Board
Curricular Requirements
The course provides instruction in each
of the following 14 content areas
outlined in the AP Psychology Course
Description:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Evidence of Curricular Requirement
Please refer to the Content Outline, found on
pages 4-11, and note that our 12 Units address
each of these content areas. For a delineation of
how each content area is addressed please see
the Content/Topic Outline for each unit.
History and Approaches
Research Methods
Biological Bases of Behavior
Sensation and Perception
States of Consciousness
Learning
Cognition
Motivation and Emotion
Developmental Psychology
Personality
Abnormal Psychology /
Treatment
Social Psychology
As relevant to each content area, the
course provides instruction in
empirically supported psychological
facts, research findings, terminology,
associated phenomena, major figures,
perspectives, and psychological
experiments.
The course teaches ethics and research
methods used in psychological science
and practice.
For examples of how each content area meets
this requirement please see the Content/Topic
Outline for each unit.
Please refer to the Content/Topic outline for
Unit 1: The Science of Psychology and the Unit
1 Project in which students design their own
research project.
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AP Psychology: Content Outline
Unit 1
The Science of Psychology: History, Approaches, and Methodology
Essential Questions:
 How do the different perspectives in psychology compare and contrast?
 Who were the movers and shakers in the evolution of psychology as a science?
 How do psychologists use the scientific method to study behavior and mental
processes?
 Which methods of research are appropriate for the study of different behaviors?
 How do psychologists draw appropriate conclusions about behavior from
research?
 How do psychologists make ethical decisions about researching behavior with
human and animal subjects?
Content /Topic Outline
1. What is Psychology?
2. Approaches/Schools of Psychology
3. The Growth of Psychology
a. Wundt
b. James
c. Behaviorism
d. Cognitive Revolution
e. New Directions
4. Scientific Method and Descriptive
Research Methods
5. Research Methods: Correlation
6. Research Methods: Experiments
7. Statistics
a. Measures of Central Tendency
b. Measures of Variation
8. Sampling and Selection
9. Ethics: Guidelines and Wrong doings
a. APA Code of Ethics
b. Animal Research
c. Gone wrong? Milgrim and
Zimbardo
Varsity Terms:
1. Psychology
2. Structuralism
3. Functionalism
4. Schools of Psychology
5. Scientific Method
6. Case Study
7. Naturalistic Observation
8. Correlation
9. IV/DV
10. Mode/Median/Mean
11. Sampling
12. Validity
13. Reliability
14. Standard Deviation
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Unit 2: Memory
Essential Question:
 How do humans encode, store, and retrieve information from memory?
 How can humans enhance memory encoding, storage, and retrieval?
 Why do humans sometimes forget?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Information Processing Model and Sensory
Registers
2. STM / LTM
3. Biology of Memory
4. Forgetting
5. Special Topics in Memory
Varsity Terms:
1. IPM
2. Encoding
3. Storage
4. Retrieval
5. Sensory memory
6. STM/LTM
7. Serial Positioning Effect
8. Pro/Retroactive
Interference
9. Forgetting
Unit 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior
Essential Question:
 How do nature and nurture affect behavior?
 How do biological processes relate to behavior?
 How do the biological processes work to create and sustain behavior?
 How does damage to a biological process or part affect behavior?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Neural structure and behavior
2. Neurotransmitters
3. The Central Nervous System:
a. Brainstem
b. Limbic System
c. Cerebral Cortex
4. Left and Right Hemispheres
5. Tools for Studying the Nervous
System
6. The Peripheral Nervous System
7. The Endocrine System
8. Genetics
9. Evolutionary Psychology
Varsity Terms
1. Neuron
2. Action Potential
3. Neurotransmitters
4. Nervous System
5. Parts of the Brain
6. Broca’s Area
7. Wernicke’s Area
8. Endocrine System
9. PET Scan
10. MRI
11. CAT Scan
12. Monozygotic Twins
13. Limbic System
14. Brain Stem
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Unit 4: Sensation, Perception, and States of Consciousness
Essential Questions:
 How do the five senses receive and translate signals to the brain for processing?
 How do sensation and perception differ?
 How does the brain process sensory signals accurately? Inaccurately?
 How do psychologists define consciousness?
 What happens during the sleep cycle?
 How do psychoactive drugs affect behavior?
 How do we know whether hypnosis is a real psychological phenomenon?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Sensation and Perception
a. Bottom-Up Processing
b. Top-Down Processing
c. The nature of Sensation
2. Vision
3. Hearing and The Other Senses
4. Pain
5. Perception
6. Visual Illusions
7. Consciousness
8. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
9. Dreams
10. Drug-Altered Consciousness
11. Hypnosis
Varsity Terms
1. Bottom-Up and TopDown Processing
2. Absolute Threshold
3. Weber’s Law
4. Opponent Process Theory
5. Gate Control Theory
6. Gestalt
7. Selective Attention
8. Circadian Rhythm
9. Manifest and Latent
Content
10. Tolerance and Withdrawal
11. Types of Drugs
Unit 5: Learning
Essential Questions:
 How do psychologists define learning?
 How do principles of classical conditioning work to create learning?
 How do principles of operant conditioning work to create learning?
 How do principles of observational learning work to create learning?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning
3. Reinforcement and Punishment
4. Schedules of Reinforcement
5. Conditioning Mr. Galusha
6. Social Cognitive Learning
7. Behavior Modification
Varsity Terms
1. UR, US, CR, CS
2. Extinction
3. Generalization
4. Spontaneous Recovery
5. Positive Reinforcement
6. Negative Reinforcement
7. Punishment
8. Schedules of Reinforcement
9. Modeling
10. Vicarious Learning
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Unit 6: Cognition and Language
Essential Questions:
 How do humans think?
 In what ways is thinking flawed or constrained? How can people avoid falling
for these errors in thinking?
 How do humans acquire language?
 How is language flawed or constrained? How can people avoid falling for these
errors in using language?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Thinking: Schemas and Prototypes
2. Problem Solving
3. Problems in Problem Solving
4. Decision Making
5. Biases in Decision Making
6. Thinking without language?
7. Structure of Language
8. Language Development
9. Feral Children: Victor and Genie
10. Language, thought and culture
11. Nonhuman Cognition and Language
12. Language and Culture
Varsity Terms
1. Schema
2. Prototype
3. Algorithm
4. Heuristics
5. Mental Set
6. Representativeness
7. Availability
8. Phonemes and
Morphemes
9. Syntax and Semantics
10. Critical Periods
Unit 7: Intelligence, Testing, and Individual Differences
Essential Question:
 How do psychologists define and study intelligence?
 How do psychologists know whether a test is reliable and/or valid? Why are
these qualities of tests important?
 How do testing scores differ between group administrations and individual
administrations of intelligence tests? Between genders? Races? Socioeconomic
groups?
Content/Topic Outline
1. Theories of Intelligence
a. Spearman, Thurstone and Cattell
b. Sternberg, Gardner and Coleman
2. Intelligence: Nature vs. Nurture
3. Intelligence Tests
a. Stanford-Binet
b. WISC
c. Performance and Culture Fair Tests
4. Making good tests
a. Reliability
b. Validity
5. Human Diversity and Intelligence
6. Creativity
7. Intelligence War Debate
Varsity Terms:
1. Intelligence
2. Factor Analysis
3. General Intelligence
4. Fluid and Crystallized
Intelligence
5. Multiple Intelligence
6. Emotional Intelligence
7. Performance Tests
8. Culture Fair Tests
9. Validity
10. Reliability
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Unit 8: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
Essential Questions:
 In what ways are humans motivated to behave?
 What methods of motivation are more effective than others?
 How does hunger operate?
 How do maladaptive eating patterns affect behavior?
 What role do emotions play in behavior?
 How does physical arousal and cognition affect emotions?
 How does stress influence health and behavior?
Content/Topic Outline:
1. Perspectives on Motivation
a. Instincts
b. Drive-Reduction Theory
c. Arousal Theory
d. Yerkes-Dodson Law
e. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
2. Hunger and Thirst
3. Eating Disorders and Body Image
4. Sexual Orientation
5. Contact, Aggression, Achievement, Affiliation
6. Theories of Emotion
7. Expressed Emotions
8. Sources of Stress
9. Coping with Stress
10. Stress, Health, and Reducing stress
Varsity Terms
1. Drive-Reduction Theory
2. Yerkes-Dodson Law
3. Intrinsic and Extrinsic
Motivation
4. Anorexia and Bulimia
5. James-Lange Theory
6. Cannon-Bard Theory
7. Two-Factory Theory
8. Approach/avoidance
Conflict
9. GAS
10. PTSD
Unit 9: Developmental Psychology
Essential Questions:
 How do people grow and develop physically throughout the lifespan?
 How do people grow and develop cognitively throughout the lifespan?
 How do people grow and develop socially throughout the lifespan?
 How do people grow and develop morally throughout the lifespan?
Content/Topic Outline:
1. Methodology in Developmental Psychology
2. Prenatal and Infant Development
3. Cognitive Development
a. Piaget
b. Vygotsky
4. Social Development: Erikson
5. Moral Development: Kohlberg
6. Sex-Role Development
7. Topics in Adolescent Development
8. Topics in Adulthood
9. Topics in Late-Adulthood
Varsity Terms
1. Longitudinal Study
2. Reflexes
3. Developmental Norms
4. Maturation
5. Object Permanence
6. Conservation
7. Gender Stereotypes
8. Attachment
9. Identity Formation
10. Alzheimer’s Disease
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Unit 10: Personality
C
o Essential Question:
 How do psychologists define and study personality?
 What advantages and limitations exist for each theory’s description of
personality?
 How do psychologists reliably measure personality?
Content/Topic Outline:
1. Psychodynamic Theories
a. Freud
b. Jung
c. Adler
d. Horney
2. Humanistic Theories
a. Maslow
b. Rogers
3. Trait Theories – The Big Five
4. Cognitive-Social Theories
a. Expectancies
b. Self-Efficacy
c. Locus of Control
5. Objective Tests of Personality
6. Projective Tests of Personality
a. TAT and Rorschach Creations
Varsity Outline
1. Unconscious
2. Id, Ego, Superego
3. Defense Mechanisms
4. Psychosexual
Development
5. Collective Unconscious
6. Self-Actualizing
Tendency
7. Big Five
8. Expectancies
9. Self-Efficacy
10. Locus of Control
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology and the Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Essential Questions:
 How do psychologists measure and define abnormal behavior?
 How are the various psychological disorders identified and studied?
 What are the different treatment options for the various types of psychological
disorders?
Content/Topic Outline:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Definition and Perspectives on Psychological Disorders
Mood Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Psychosomatic Disorders
Childhood Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Sexual Disorders
Personality Disorders
Schizophrenic Disorders
Insight Therapies
Behavior Therapies
Cognitive Therapies
Group Therapies
Biological Treatments
Varsity Terms
1. Systems Approach
2. Depression
3. Specific Phobias
4. Conversion Disorders
5. D.I.D.
6. Types of Schizophrenia
7. AD/HD
8. Free Association
9. Transference
10. Gestalt Therapy
11. Systematic Desensitization
12. R.E.T.
13. Beck’s Cog. Therapy
14. Lobotomy
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Unit 12: Social Psychology
Essential Question:
 How do people explain (or attribute) the behavior of others?
 How are individuals affected by groups?
 Under what conditions do people obey, conform, make friendships, find love,
and help others?
 How do attitudes and actions influence individual and group behavior?
Content/Topic Outline:
1. Social Cognition - Attribution
2. Attitudes and Persuasion
3. Conformity
4. Compliance
5. Deindividuation
6. Helping Behavior
7. Group Decision Making
Varsity Terms:
1. Fundamental Attribution
Theory
2. Attitude
3. Cognitive Dissonance
4. Norms
5. Conformity and
Compliance
6. Deindividuation
7. Bystander Effect
8. Group Polarization
9. Risky Shift
10. Groupthink
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Studies and Psychologists
Researcher
(s)
Asch
Area of Study
Basics of Study
Social
Cognition
Erikson
Development
Freud
Personality
Asch deceived subjects by telling them it was a study in
perception. He was really testing their conformity levels. Also
called “the line study.”
Developed an approach to the personality that extended
Freudian psychosexual theory. It is unique in that it
encompasses the entire life cycle and recognizes the impact of
society, history, and culture on personality.
“The ego and the mechanisms of defense.”
Harlow
Development
Hobson &
McCarley
Kohlberg
Sleep or
Consciousness
Development
Lange
Emotion
Loftus
Cognition and
memory
Milgram
Social Psych
Pavlov
Learning
Piaget
Development
“The development of object concept: The construction of reality
in the child.”
Rorschach
“Psychodiagnostics: A diagnostic test based on perception.”
Schacter
Personality
Testing
Emotions
Seligman
Personality
Skinner
Learning
Spearman
Intelligence
Watson &
Raynor
Learning
Wolpe
Learning/Ther
apy
Social Psych
Zimbardo
Cloth monkey and wire monkey mothers: which would the child
monkeys go to when scared?
Sleep studies that indicate the brain creates dream states, not
information processing or Freudian interpretations
Studied boys responses to and processes of reasoning in making
moral decisions. Most famous moral dilemma is “Heinz” who
has an ill wife and cannot afford the medication. Should he
steal the medication and why?
Our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological
responses to emotion arousing stimuli
Showed how easily memories could be changed and falsely
created by techniques such as leading questions and illustrating
the poverty of accuracy in eyewitness reports.
“Behavioral study of obedience”—wanted to see if Germans
were an aberration or if all people were capable of committing
evil actions
Began by measuring the salivary reaction of dogs. Ended with a
new understanding of associational learning and the conditioned
reflex.
Key Concepts derived from or
enhanced from research
Conformity, group influence,
factors increasing conformity
Stages of Psychosocial
Development, Identity Crisis
Defense mechanisms, ego,
displacement, sublimation,
projection, repression,
regression, etc.
Love, attachment,
Activation-Synthesis Theory
Moral development
Preconventional
Conventional
Postconventional stages of moral
development
James-Lange Theory
False memories, memory
consolidation
Shock study, teacher/learner
study or obedience study
Classical conditioning,
unconditioned stimulus,
conditioned stimulus,
unconditioned response,
conditioned response
Object permanence, perception
of reality by children,
development of cognition
Ink-blot, projective test
Worked with emotions and modified theory of emotions to
include cognitions and their role in the formation of emotions
Learning to be depressed—the learned helplessness studies with
dogs and electric shock
Trained animals to do complex behaviors; e.g. making pigeons
exhibit superstitious behavior
Through is development of factor analysis he believed in the
existence of a general intelligence the underlies mental
processes.
Classical conditioning—conditioned fear into infants (including
Little Albert) in order to examine how fears are learned and
generalized
Systematic desensitization work
Two-Factory Theory
Prison Study that showed the power of roles in people’s
behaviors. When one takes on a role, they will often change
their behavior in order to fit the perceived set
Person vs. The Situation
Learned helplessness
Operant conditioning, chaining,
Factor Analysis, g
Classical conditioning terms,
behavioral conditioning
Systematic desensitization
Page 12
Unit 3 Project
Superheroes,
Villains, Sidekicks
and the Brain
Who?
In groups of no smaller than three and no bigger than four, you are to complete the following unit project.
Please note that each member of the group will need to put this into their portfolio so you will need
multiple copies.
What is the task?
You are to make up a superhero, villain, or sidekick for the following 17 areas of the human brain. What
would that character have as their special power and or special weakness if that part of their brain was
‘super’. By the end you should have 17 separate characters.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Medulla
Pons
Cerebellum
Thalmus
Hypothalmus
Hippocampus
7. Amygdala
8. Occipital Lobe
9. Temporal Lobe
10. Parietal Lobe
11. Frontal Lobe
12. Primary Motor Cortex
13. Primary Somatosenory
Cortex
14. Left Hemisphere
15. Right Hemisphere
16. Broca’s Area
17. Wernicke’s Area
What will my finished product look like?
You will need the following:
 Diagram(s) labeling the location of each of the 17 areas
 17 Character Descriptions that include all of the following (you can find a sample on
the reverse page)
o
o
o
o
A name for the character that references the brain area
Visual(s)
A description of the character’s super powers and/or weaknesses
The area of the brain used for that character and what it actually controls in the brain
Page 13
Bath of
Doom
Blessed with a heightened amygdala thanks to
a freak accident in the Vidal Sassoon mouse
testing facility, Amyg’DaMan knows when he
can win a fight or when he needs to take
flight . . . yo! With only his superhuman
ability to read facial features and govern
emotions, Amyg’DaMan never gets in over his
head. He sports a caveman like costume as a
shout out to his ancestors, his peeps you might
say. Had it not been for their amygdalas they
wouldn’t have known when to run from
predatory trolls with extra arms or stay and
slaughter innocent docile foes. This ones for
you Amygdala guy and the quick judgment that
saves your life.
Thank goodness ‘Gratuitous
-Arm-Troll-Guy’ doesn’t
know my super powers
from a mouse. If he did,
and I no longer had a super
amygdala, I’d become tame
and docile while he beat my
hair into a matted mess.
Amygdala –
An almond shaped structure
of the Limbic System that
governs emotions related to
self-preservation. It is
essential for decoding
emotions (facial features),
and in particular stimuli that
are threatening to the
organism (fear, anger, aggression)
Page 14
Superheroes,
Villains, Sidekicks
and the Brain:
The Score Sheet
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.




Hypothalamus 
Hippocampus 
Amygdala

Medulla
Pons
Cerebellum
Thalamus
8. Occipital Lobe 
9. Temporal Lobe
10. Parietal Lobe

11. Frontal Lobe
12. Primary Motor 
Cortex
13.Senory Cortex

14. Left Hemisphere 
15. Right Hemisphere 
16. Broca’s Area

17. Wernicke’s Area 
1. Diagram(s) labeling the location of each of the 17 areas
____/10
2. Name for the character that reference the brain area
____/10
3. Visual(s) for each character
____/20
4. A description of the character’s super powers
and/or weaknesses
____/30
5. The area of the brain used for that character
and what it actually controls in the brain
____/30
Total Score
______/100
Page 15
Unit 5 Project
Conditioning Mr. Tietz
Unit Project for Learning
You met in groups to determine how you would condition my behavior over the course of the
next three weeks. Your project for this unit is to track this trial and make careful written
observations in a section of your notes. You will use these as evidence at the end of the
conditioning period. Each of you are to then write a 2-3 page essay summarizing your
conditioning and its results. If your group fails to condition me (or another teacher cleared by
me), your essay will naturally focus on confounding problems and how you could have better
handled the assignment.
Your essay should address all of the following concepts:
 What is learning?
 What is Operant Conditioning?
 What was the baseline behavior?
 What was the target behavior (be very specific) and why?
 Types of Reinforcers used and why
 Why didn’t you use punishment?
 How did you shape through successive approximations?
 How did you prevent against response generalization?
 What type of reinforcement schedule did you use and why?
You will be graded using the following score guide
Thesis and organization
/10
Meaningful and integrated coverage of the above questions/topics
/40
Appropriate use of observational data
/20
Successfulness or adequate explanation of why you were not successful
/15
Mechanics
/10
Observations stapled to the final essay
/5
/100
Page 16
Unit 8 Project
Emo - Photo
Collage
The Photo Collage Project
o
o
o
o
o
The goal for the photo collage project is to enhance our definition of the concept of emotion and particularize the
expressive character of this human phenomenon.
The project challenge is for each individual to pick one of the fundamental emotions articulated by a major theorist
and go out on a photo shoot to capture on film the essence of that emotion in the world around you.
You should then take the exposed and developed film and create a collage that expresses the emotion.
A short 2 pages paper that explains the views of the theorist you are studying and how you accomplished your
portrait should accompany your collage.
Collage projects may be collaborative but everyone is responsible to write an essay to turn in for a grade.
Unit 10 Project
Page 17
Unit 10
Personality Theory Project
TV/Movie Character Analysis
Directions:
You will get an opportunity to “play” psychologist and explain the behavior of your favorite (or most
hated) TV/Movie character using all of the following personality theories: Freudian/Neo-Freudian,
Humanistic Theory, Trait Theory, and Social-Cognitive Perspective.
Write a paper (2-page-minimum) on a TV/Movie character of your choice. You must explain the
behavior of this character using each of the personality theories we have discussed in class.
(Freudian/Neo-Freudian, Humanistic Theory, Trait Theory, and Social-Cognitive Perspective)
You may spend a maximum of two paragraphs describing the plot of a specific episode or film that you
have chosen. Then explain in terms of each personality theory why the character you have chosen
behaved the way he or she did. All interpretations are to include a brief description of the character’s
actions or words that exemplify a particular theoretical concept (i.e. locus of control, defense
mechanisms, environmental influences, free will, neuroticism, etc.).
Grading:
 Quality of analysis (10 points per personality theory) 40 pts.
 Clear and specific examples of theory (10 points per personality theory) 40 pts.
 Organized and thorough essay (20 points)
Page 18
Unit 11 Project
Whose Disorder is it ANYWAY?
This project is a bit different. Out of class you are responsible
only for studying the disorders/treatments covered in class and
in your text. I STRONGLY recommend that you become
VERY familiar with the causes, characteristics, and treatments
for each disorder. This information will be essential for
participation during our Improv days.
All students will cycle through two different roles
Disorders: You will be handed a piece of paper. On it will be the type of disorder your character has.
You and I will be the only person in the room that knows your disorder. Upon being handed the paper
you will take the stage and enter the skit. It will be your job to act out the key characteristics of this
disorder without actually saying the name of the disorder. Think of it like psychological charades . . .
but you can use words. It is your job to harass the therapists. The therapists can only get you to leave
the stage by successfully identifying and treating your disorder.
Therapists: You and a friend will be assigned the role of therapists. It will be your job to ‘diagnose’
which disorders the students entering our Improv skit have. Upon getting the diagnosis correct, you
must carry out a valid treatment. Once you have correctly diagnosed and treated the disorder, that
student will be forced to leave the stage. Your goal is to empty the stage as
Paranoid Personality
Catatonic Schizophrenia
Dissociative Fugue
Baldaphilia
End of the
Year Project
Page 19
Mentally Fractured Fairytales
1. Select a familiar story (different story for each group)
2. Retell the story, within the following guidelines:
a. at least 3 characters with psychological disorders or chronic
problems
b. at least one character who is a mental health professional working
from a specific perspective
c. at least 12 psychological terms or concepts used (cleverly)
3. Present your version of your story to the class (10-12 minutes per
group)
4. You may use props or media – be as creative as you like
5. All members of your group must be obvious participants
6. While we are all looking to be entertained, the intellectual, course-related
content must be present.
7. While we are all looking to be entertained, the presentation must be
PG-rated and in good taste.
8. Presentation must be accompanied by a 2 page handout (for me) which
includes:
a. a story synopsis
b. for each disorder, a synopsis of symptoms and appropriate
therapeutic methods
c. for the mental health professional, a description of his/her method
d. list of the psychological terms, concepts to be included
Page 20
AP Psychology Portfolio
Portfolios are collections of work representing performance. Portfolios in classrooms today are derived
from the visual and performing arts tradition in which they serve to showcase artists' accomplishments.
While portfolios can take many different forms, for this class your portfolio should be kept inside a big
three ring binder. It is recommended, though not required, that you protect your work in individual
plastic sleeves or folders. At the conclusion of each unit, you will be asked to submit two to three
assignments for your portfolio. In addition to receiving grades for assignments on their due dates, your
portfolio will be submitted in its entirety near the end of the class and you will receive a grade of 300
points for the finished product. The goal of this process is to demonstrate both reflective learning as you
overcome shortcomings in earlier assignments and cumulative learning as you construct a useful tool for
test review and course reference.
Unit 1: The Science of Psychology
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Chapter 1 Concept Map with important terms and people
Chapter 2 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: Are you a “Natural”?
Unit 1 corrected exam
Unit 1 flash cards
Unit 2: Memory
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Chapter 7a Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: Thanks for the Memories!
Unit 2 corrected exam
Unit 2 flash cards
Unit 3: The Biological Basis of Behavior
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Chapter 3 Concept Map with important terms and people
Application Project: Superheroes, Villains, Sidekicks and the Brain
Hock: More Experience=Bigger Brain?
Unit 3 corrected exam
Unit 3 flash cards
Unit 4: Sensation, Perception, and State of Consciousness
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Chapter 4 Concept Map with important terms and people
Chapter 5 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: What You See Is What You’ve Learned
Hock: To Sleep, No Doubt To Dream
Page 21
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Unit 4 corrected exam
Unit 4 flash cards
Unit 5: Learning
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Chapter 6 Concept Map with important terms and people
Application Project: Conditioning Mr. Tietz
Hock: See Aggression…Do Aggression!
Unit 5 corrected exam
Unit 5 flash cards
Unit 6: Cognition and Language
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Chapter 7b Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: Maps in Your Mind
Unit 6 corrected exam
Unit 6 flash cards
Unit 7: Intelligence, Testing and Individual Differences
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Chapter 11 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: What You Expect is What You Get
Unit 7 corrected exam
Unit 7 flash cards
Unit 8: Motivation, Emotion and Stress
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Chapter 8 Concept Map with important terms and people
Application Project: Emotion Photo Collage
Hock: I Can See It All Over Your Face!
Unit 8 corrected exam
Unit 8 flash cards
Unit 9: Developmental Psychology
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Chapter 9 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: How Moral Are You?
Unit 9 corrected exam
Unit 9 flash cards
Page 22
Unit 10: Personality
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Chapter 10 Concept Map with important terms and people
Application Project: TV/Movie Character Analysis
Hock: Are You The Master Of Your Fate
Unit 10 corrected exam
Unit 10 flash cards
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology and Treatment of Psychological Disorders
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Chapter 12 Concept Map with important terms and people
Chapter 13 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: Who’s Crazy Here, Anyway?
Hock: Projections of Who You Are
Unit 11 corrected exam
Unit 11 flash cards
Unit 12: Social Psychology
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Chapter 14 Concept Map with important terms and people
Hock: Obey at Any Cost?
Unit 12 corrected exam
Unit 12 flash cards
Additional Portfolio Components
 Table of Contents
 Rubric
_____/300