AP psychology is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students will be exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. You will also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.
Unit | Timeframe | Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions) | Major Learning Experiences from Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
Scientific Foundations of Psychology | 2 weeks | Introducing Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, The Experimental Method, Selecting a Research Method, Statistical Analysis in Psychology, Ethical Guidelines in Psychology | Naturalistic Observation Paper |
Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 weeks | Neural Communication, the nervous system, the endocrine system, central & peripheral nervous systems, major brain regions, brain structure, lobes, & cortical areas, brain lateralization & hemispheric specialization, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and treatment of, evolutionary psychology, nature versus nurture, consciousness, genetics & inherited traits, sleep stages and cycles, theories of sleep and dreaming, sleep disorders, uses for psychoactive drugs & impact on behavior, drug dependency | 3D Brain, Clay Neuron, Neural communication movie, sleep log |
Sensation and Perception | 2-3 weeks | Sensory transduction, absolute threshold, difference threshold, signal detection, sensory adaptation, sensory processes, sensory disorders, Gestalt approach to organization, effects of culture & environment, top-down processing, attention & behavior, Weber’s Law | Inversion Goggle Lab, Sensation & Perception Gallery Walk/Scavenger Hunt |
Learning | 2 weeks | Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, Little Albert, Skinner’s Box, higher-order learning, reinforcement, punishment, interpreting graphs, biological constraints, insight learning, latent learning, social learning, emotional learning, behavior modification. | Classical Conditioning & Advertisement Project, School Behavioral Modification Project |
Cognitive Psychology | 3 weeks | Effortful versus automatic processing, deep versus shallow processing; focused versus divided attention, types of memory, memory encoding & storage, language acquisition & processing, problem-solving strategies, critical thinking skills, framing, defining intelligence, measuring intelligence – abstract versus verbal measures, speed of processing, influence of culture on intelligence, compare & contrast theories of intelligence | Flashbulb memory interview |
Developmental Psychology | 3 weeks | Nature v. nurture, prenatal development, maturation, how schemas are assimilated or accommodated, Piaget's stages of cognitive development, secure v. insecure attachment, gender identity, and gender roles, psychosocial development, moral development, the role of parents, peer influence, adolescence, cross-sectional v. longitudinal studies, aging. | Developmental cross- sectional research interview |
Motivation, Emotion and Personality | 3-4 weeks | Motivational concepts (biological, social, cultural factors), the hierarchy of needs, hunger, sexual motivation, needs, drives, homeostasis, compare & contrast motivational theories, classic motivational systems, effects of stress on health, compare & contrast theories of emotion, body chemistry & brain, hormones & sexual behavior, facial expressions, psychoneuroimmunology, Theories of personality: psychoanalytic, humanist, cognitive, trait, social learning, & behavioral, Oedipus complex, Rorschach Inkblot test, iceberg model, self-actualization, the “Big Five”, individualism versus collectivism, compare relevant research methods, assessment strategies including MMPI & TAT, cultural influences/hindrances on development | Motivational theories playlists, 50 slips personality inventory |
Clinical Psychology and Treatment | 3 weeks | Defining & recognizing psychological disorders, understanding & use of DSM5, ADHD, anxiety & somatoform disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, personality & dissociative disorders, explaining disorders through medical model, psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, biological, & sociocultural approaches, consequences of diagnostic labeling, psychology & legal ties, Characteristics of psychotherapeutic intervention, evaluating psychotherapies, biomedical therapies, treatment orientations used in therapy, drug therapies, compare & contrast different treatment formats, the effectiveness of specific treatments for specific problems, cultural & ethnic influence on treatment, prevention strategies | Case studies |
Social Psychology | 2-3 week | Study of social attitudes, social influence, & other influences, application of theories to explain motives, structure & function of group behavior, individual responses to expectations of others, changing attitudes, Millgram’s obedience experiment, Zimbardo’s prison experiment, impact of presence of others on individual behavior, social & cultural influences, variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, & attraction, attitude formation & change | Ethical standards in famous psychological experiments |