Dear Parents/Guardians,

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1 Dear Parents/Guardians, Welcome to Cedar Creek s Advanced Placement Psychology program. Students are to be commended for taking on the challenge of a college-level course during this year. If the effort is put in, the rewards can be significant. The purpose of The College Board s AP Psychology course is to provide evidence to colleges and universities that a student has successfully mastered rigorous academic curriculum typically found in approved college courses. The College Board curriculum requires that an entire college textbook is covered, and more, during this course; consequently, please understand that every chapter and section is expected to be studied, understood, and tested, including appendices. Since the use of a college textbook is required, there may be topics covered not found in high school textbooks, such as evolution, gender/sexual issues death and dying issues, and physiology. I encourage you to peruse the text for specific topics. If you deem these topics controversial and wish to exempt your student from them, you may do so in writing; however, please understand that you are putting your student at a disadvantage insofar as preparation for the AP Psychology Exam is concerned. Anything in the text may be tested. An AP course demands extra work and additional time outside the usual high school demands. Students will be expected to do a great deal of independent reading, research, and completion of assignments. As a teacher for many years, I believe that we educate ourselves and no one can make anyone learn anything. Therefore, I consider myself a facilitator of learning if the student chooses to take advantage of the opportunities presented. Of course, the richer reward for perseverance and dedication to this subject will be an increased understanding of and appreciation for the fascinating science of behavior and mental processes. Psychology is an interdisciplinary subject that has applications to every person, everyday life, and almost every field of study. As we move into this new year, I encourage parent/guardian interest in this intellectually challenging and fun learning opportunity. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions. Sincerely, Ashley Robinson Cedar Creek High School jrobinson@bisdtx.org Please sign and return one copy of this letter with your student by August 28 th to acknowledge that you and your student have read and understood the contents of this letter. The other copy may be kept at home for reference. Student Name (printed) Student Signature Parent/Guardian Name Signature Date

2 AP PSYCHOLOGY Purpose The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. This course is taught at the college level. It is a rigorous and demanding course requiring students to have a strong work ethic, to read at a rigorous pace, and to complete a variety of writing assignments. Students are expected to demonstrate strong writing and analytical skills and independent work habits. This course follows the APA guidelines for Advanced Placement Psychology, and it is the expectation that students will take the AP exam in May. Satisfactory completion of the requirements of this course and a passing grade on the AP Exam could earn students college credit in Psychology, and recent College Board findings reveal that students who take AP classes are more often considered first for admissions above students who do not take Advanced Placement classes. Course Objectives Students will: study the fundamental concepts and theories of psychology. learn the basic skills of psychological research. develop critical thinking, reading, writing, and discussion skills. analyze ethical issues and enduring psychological questions. apply psychological principles in their own lives. prepare to earn a passing score on the AP Psychology Exam. Texts Required Textbook: Myers, D. G. (2014). Myers Psychology for AP (2 nd ed.). Holland, MI: BFW/Worth Publishers. Recommended Style Manual: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (2010). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Possible Supplemental Texts in Print: Articles from Mental Floss, The New York Times, Scientific American, The Economist, National Geographic, etc. Breel, K. (2015). Boy meets depression, or life sucks and then you live. New York, NY: Penguin. Cox, M., Garrett, E., & Graham, J. A. ( ). Death in Disney films: Implications for children s understanding of death. Omega, 50, Haidt, J. (2012). The righteous mind: why good people are divided by politics and religion. New York, NY: Pantheon. Hock, R. R. (2009). Forty studies that changed psychology (6 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

3 Lawson, A. & Fouts, G. (2004). Mental illness in Disney animated films. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49, Natterson-Horowitz, B., and K. Bowers. (2012). Zoobiquity: The astonishing connection between human and animal health. New York, NY: Knopf. Ratey, J. J. (2001). A user s guide to the brain: perception, attention, and the four theaters of the brain. New York, NY: Pantheon. Robinson, T., Callister, M., Magoffin, D., & Moore, J. (2007). The portrayal of older characters in Disney animated films. Journal of Aging Studies, 21, Wahl, O., Wood, A., Zaveri, P., Drapalski, A., & Mann, B. (2003). Mental illness depiction in children s films. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). The Lucifer effect: understanding how good people turn evil. New York, NY: Random House. Possible Supplemental Texts on Film (select clips): Addiction: POV: Web Junkie (2015) Aging, Personality: Grumpy Old Men (1993) Aging, Personality, Memory, Disorders, Treatments, Neuroscience: The Notebook (2004) Development, Disorders, Treatments: Temple Grandin (2010) and Rain Man (1988) Disorders, Personality, Emotion: Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Memory, Neuroscience, Disorders, Treatments: Shutter Island (2010) Memory, Neuroscience, Personality: Finding Nemo (2003), Spellbound (1945) Memory, Neuroscience, Personality, Learning: 50 First Dates (2004) Personality, Cognition, Disorders, Treatments: One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest (1975) Personality, Learning: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) Review: Psychology Syllabus The following pages provide an overview of our syllabus for the year, including notes about major grades, routine assignments, and unique and fun activities of interest. Please note that this is a skeletal outline; assignments listed are by no means exhaustive but are only provided as a brief preview of some upcoming fun. Unit Main Points Assignments Introduction Course Overview AP Test Format Intro to Year-Long Project History & Approaches Personality History of Psychology Approaches Subfields in Psychology Personality Theories and Approaches Assessment Techniques Growth and Adjustment Affirmation Task Time Management Topic Fact Sheets Who s Who Booklets Exam 1 Research Topic Approval Meyer s Briggs Posters Rorschach at CCHS Exam 2

4 Learning Cognition Research Methods Biological Bases of Behavior States of Consciousness Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Cognitive Process Biological Factors Social Learning Memory Language Thinking Problem Solving and Creativity Experimental, Correlational, and Clinical Research Statistics Ethics in Research Physiological Techniques Neuroanatomy Functional Organization of Nervous System Neural Transmission Neuroplasticity Endocrine System Genetics Evolutionary Psychology Sleep and Dreaming Hypnosis Psychoactive Drug Effects Anagrams Exam 3 Dr. Chew YouTube Clips Exam 4 New York Times: texting and driving simulations Movie Polls Exam 5 Positivity Experiment Play-doh Brains Exams 6 & 7 Brain Foods Literary Neuroscience (Stanford article) Exam 8 Review for Midterm Midterm = 10% text file 10% research proposal 80% AP format MC test Motivation & Emotion Sensation & Perception Biological Bases Theories of Motivation Hunger, Thirst, Sex, and Pain Social Motives Theories of Emotion Stress Thresholds and Signal Detection Theory Sensory Mechanisms Attention Anonymous Response Task Exam 9 Mirror Activity Exam 10

5 Developmental Psychology Testing and Individual Differences Abnormal Psychology Treatment of Abnormal Behavior Social Psychology Test Review After the Exam Perceptual Processes Life-Span Approach Research Methods Heredity-Environmental Issues Developmental Theories Dimensions of Development Sex and Gender Development Standardization and Norms Reliability and Validity Types of Tests Ethics and Standards in Testing Intelligence Definitions of Abnormality Theories of Psychopathology Diagnosis of Psychopathology Types of Disorders Treatment Approaches Modes of Therapy Community and Preventative Approaches Group Dynamics Attribution Processes Interpersonal Perception Conformity, Compliance, Obedience Attitudes and Attitude Change Organizational Behavior Aggression/Antisocial Behavior Cultural Influences 3-D Posters Development Soundtrack Exam 11 Kohlberg v. Gilligan (Moral Theory) Exam 12 Exam 13 Exam 14 Exam 15 Faerie Tales AP Test Day is May 2nd! Psychological Profiles Year Long Project Culmination (Research Paper) Final Exam

6 Grading policies 60% - Major Grades: Exams, Projects, Journal Checks, & FRQs 40% - Daily Grades: Homework, Classwork, Quizzes, & Participation Any work turned in after the first five minutes of class, unless otherwise noted in writing such as for special projects, is considered LATE. Technology issues are not an exception to this rule. For every day that work is late, it will result in a ten point deduction from the assignment grade, up to a forty point deduction, before it is listed as a zero in the gradebook. Special note: Because you have prior knowledge and adequate time to complete many of your assignments and particularly projects, I reserve the right to refuse to accept them for full credit if you are absent the day they are due. You will need to the task to me, have someone drop it off by 4:30pm that school day, or call me that day on the classroom phone so that we may speak about the situation. Otherwise, the task will be counted late. Extra credit will also be routinely offered, though it is not a replacement for required assignments. supplies Required One 3 three-ring binder College-ruled loose-leaf paper Five or more dividers for your binder Blue or black ink pens Colored Pencils A four-pack of Play-doh in various colors One folder Reliable and appropriate Student ID Recommended Snap-in hole punch for your binder Supply bag/holder that snaps in to your binder Library card for an area public library Flash stick/thumb drive 3x5 Cards Most recent APA Style Manual Personal/portable hand sanitizer Sweater or jacket Kleenex Notebooks are used for warm-ups, notes, visual organizers, handouts, research findings, and returned work. Research must be cited in APA format for this course. You are to be commended for taking on the challenge of a college-level course during this year. If the effort is put in, the rewards can be significant.