E-Mail: jbell@peachschools.org

Text: Myers, David G. Psychology, 8^th ed. in modules New York: Worth Publishers, 2007 (includes study guide)

This course is designed to serve as a general introduction to the science of human behavior. The course will offer students a range of approaches and concepts in contemporary psychology. Emphasis will be placed upon the basic psychological processes of perception, learning, and motivation as they relate to personality, individual differences, social behavior and the behavior disorders. Other topics discussed will include: research methods, biological basis of behavior, intelligence, personality, levels of consciousness, memory, and social psychology.

1. Students will prepare to successfully complete the AP Psychology exam in the spring.

2. Demonstrate functional knowledge in psychology (concepts, theories, research methods, history); assessed with quizzes, tests, and papers.

3. Apply psychological concepts to everyday life.

4. Students will develop critical thinking skills.

There will be assigned pages to read in the textbook every night. Vocabulary terms will also be given for each unit. Other assignments given to students include class presentations, group projects, and papers. The assignments will vary based on the unit or module being covered. Attendance and class participation are expected and you are responsible for all information presented in class, even if you are absent. If you do not regularly attend class, you will be at a distinct disadvantage on examinations and other assignments

There will be a minimum of four exams per 9 week grading period. All exams will be modeled after the AP exam, with 50 multiple choice questions and one essay to be completed in 58 minutes. There will also be one project per 9 week grading period that will be counted as a test grade. At the end of the 9 week grading period I will drop the lowest exam test grade (project grades will not be dropped).

This course is laid out utilizing a modular organization. There are 58 modules in the textbook and each module presents material in smaller segments. Students can easily read any of the 58 modules in a single sitting. For example, I have grouped the information in such a way that instead of assigning the entire sensation chapter, students will be assigned modules on vision, the module on hearing, and/or and the module on the other senses in whatever order I choose. This will provide me the instructional flexibility that will enhance student learning.

• The History and Scope of Psychology
• Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
• Research Strategies: How Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions

• Neural and Hormonal Systems
• The Brain

• Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology
• Environmental Influences on Behavior, and Reflections on Nature and Nurture

• Prenatal Development and the Newborn
• Infancy and Childhood
• Adolescence
• Adulthood, and Reflections on Developmental Issues

• Introduction to Sensation and Perception
• Vision
• Hearing
• Other Senses
• Perceptual Organization
• Perceptual Interpretation

• Waking and Sleeping Rhythms
• Hypnosis
• Drugs and Consciousness

• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Learning by Observation

• Introduction to Memory
• Encoding: Getting Information In
• Storage: Retaining Information
• Retrieval: Getting Information Out
• Forgetting: Memory Construction, and Applying Memory Principles to Your Own Education

• Thinking
• Language and Thought
• Introduction to Intelligence
• Assessing Intelligence
• Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence

• Introduction to Motivation
• Hunger
• Sexual Motivation and the Need to Belong
• Motivation at Work

• Introduction to Emotion
• Experienced Emotion
• Expressed Emotion

• Stress and Illness
• Coping With Stress
• Modifying Illness-Related Behaviors

• Psychoanalytic Perspective
• Humanistic Perspective
• Contemporary Research on Personality

• Introduction to Psychological Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Dissociative and Personality Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Schizophrenia

• The Psychological Therapies
• Evaluating Psychotherapies
• The Biomedical Therapies

• Social Thinking
• Social Influence
• Antisocial Relations
• Pro-social Relations