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AP Psych History and Approaches

Unit 1, Chapter 1, Selections from Textbook
Name:
Date:
Period:

NOTE to STUDENTS: The AP Psychology textbook does not correlate exactly with the outline
of the AP Test provided by the College Board. Throughout the course, I will make every attempt
to ensure that you have the content organized and presented in such a way that you will have the
opportunity to fully grasp each topic in psychology.

I. History and Approaches, 24%i

A. Logic, Philosophy, and History of Science (p. 2-10)
B. Approaches (p.11-13)
1. Biological (p. 11)
2. Behavioral (p. 12)
3. Cognitive (p. 12)
4. Humanistic (p. 12)
5. Psychodynamic (p. 12)
6. Sociocultural (p. 13)
7. Evolutionary (p. 10, 11-13, 316, 352-354)

I. History and Approaches (24%)

Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a discipline in 1879. There have been
significant changes in the theories that psychologists use to explain behavior and mental
processes. In addition, the methodology of psychological research has expanded to include a
diversity of approaches to data gathering.

AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:

Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.

Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:

In the Early Years:
structuralism
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functionalism

behaviorism

Emerging Later
Gestalt

psychoanalytic/psychodynamic

humanism

Contemporary Approaches
evolutionary

biological

cognitive

Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.

Distinguish the different domains of psychology:

biological

clinical

cognitive
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counseling

developmental

educational

experimental

human factors

industrial

organizational

personality

psychometric

social

Identify the major historical figures in psychology

Mary Whiton Calkins

Charles Darwin

Dorothea Dix
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Sigmund Freud

G. Stanley Hall

William James

Ivan Pavlov

Jean Piaget

Carl Rogers

B.F. Skinner

Margaret Floy Washburn

John B. Watson

Wilhelm Wundt

Other Chapter 1 Vocabulary

psychology
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science

behavior

mental processes

critical thinking

empirical method

psychopathology

positive psychology

natural selection

neuroscience

sociocultural approach
i Modified from College Board by Alice Short, Hilliard City Schools, August 7, 14 2013