AP Psychology

AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic, scientific, and in-depth study of behavior and mental processes. Throughout the year, students will focus on making connections between course content and applications in daily life by in class interactive activities and out-of-class assignments. During the first semester, learning will focus on areas including history and systems of psychology, understanding research and critical thinking, understanding statistics, neuroscience and behavior, the nature/nurture debate, human diversity, lifespan development, sensation & perception, states of consciousness, theories of learning & understanding memory and cognition. During the second semester, students are expected to enhance their ability to continue to describe theoretical perspectives, acquire and use the terminology of psychology, describe measures of intelligence, identify theories of motivation, emotion, and personality, understand the relationship between stress and health, acquire knowledge of psychological disorders and their treatment, and understand group processes and the relationships between groups and individuals. The AP curriculum provides students with challenging learning experiences equivalent to that obtained in most US college level introductory psychology courses. This involves approximately 15 pages of textbook reading per class meeting in addition to other supplemental homework assignments. Successful students have an interest in psychology and psychological research and good critical thinking skills. Students who complete the yearlong course must take the College Board administered AP Examination.