The most important concept to understand is that this course is a college level course. It is designed to replace Introduction to Psychology in a student’s freshman year of college. Students who chose this course should do so with the understanding that only self-motivated, dedicated, serious students will be successful. Unlike an AP course in literature, which deals mainly with skills the students must master to discuss an unknown piece of literature (difficult for other reasons), this class deals with content, content, content. In order to master that content, students must be self-directed and intrinsically motivated to succeed.
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 subfi elds within psychology. They also learn about
the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. (CollegeBoard)
Areas of Study |
History and Approaches |
Research Methods |
|
Biological Basis 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 |
Social Psychology |
