AP Psychology is an introductory college-level psychology course. Students cultivate their understanding of the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the biological bases of behavior, cognition, development, learning, social psychology, personality, and mental and physical health. Throughout the course, students apply psychological concepts and employ psychological research methods and data interpretation to evaluate claims, consider evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.
This course also incorporates AP Classroom (an online platform hosted by the College Board) and requires students to access the site to review content and complete practice activities. Additionally, this course is designed to help students prepare for the AP Psychology Exam hosted by the College Board. The course does not include the AP Exam; students can contact their school’s AP Coordinator or the College Board to sign up to take the Exam. There are required due dates in AP courses. The pacing of due dates in AP courses aligns with the completion of all lessons and required assignments, and assessments before the national AP exam date related to this course title. This course requires the purchase of a textbook.
The course is organized around the following units of study, which focus on the required content and scientific practices in the AP Course and Exam Description.
Students must purchase their own copy of the following College Board-approved textbook:
ISBN-13: 978-1-319-28116-8
Additionally, students will have access to the following free online resources:
AP Classroom is a free resource available to all students. Students will complete, as homework or in class, Progress Checks for each of the five units. Both multiple-choice and free-response prompts are available to measure student progress.
Throughout the course, opportunities are provided for students to develop an understanding of the course content related to the four science practices: Concept Application, Research Methods and Design, Data Interpretation, and Argumentation. The following are examples of activities from the course that incorporate the science practices.
Students will research and describe a toy that claims to aid in child development, identifying which of Piaget’s stages it supports and how it relates to cognitive theories. Students will also analyze an article that questions the effectiveness of such toys, compare its findings to the toy’s claims, and evaluate whether the toy achieves its purpose. By completing this assignment, students will connect psychological theories to real-world applications, develop critical thinking skills, and practice evaluating evidence to draw meaningful conclusions.
Students will read the article “A Real-Life Lord of the Flies: The Troubling Legacy of the Robbers Cave Experiment.” This article explores a series of experiments conducted on group dynamics, conflict, and cooperation in a controlled setting. After reading the article, students will analyze the research methods used, evaluate the ethics of the experiments, and explore the psychological insights they offer about group behavior. Students will then apply the concepts of psychodynamic and humanistic theories of personality to these insights.
Students will practice defending a claim about stress by analyzing evidence and data from multiple sources, evaluating how different types of stress affect behavior and health, and constructing a clear, evidence-based argument. This activity will help students develop key skills needed for the Evidence-Based Question (EBQ), including identifying relevant evidence and data, explaining its significance, and using it to support a coherent argument.
Students will construct and defend an argument about the trustworthiness of memory, using the provided sources and their knowledge from AP Psychology. Their task is to develop a specific and defensible claim supported by evidence from two different sources, while incorporating psychological perspectives, theories, or concepts. This assignment emphasizes critical thinking, as they will not only provide evidence but also explain its relevance using distinct psychological frameworks.
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