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Shahid
AP Psychology
Samar Shahid
2023-2024

“The brain is wider than the sky” – Emily Dickenson

Email: ShahidSamar@kas.edu.pk

Textbook: Psychology, 12th edition, David G. Myers and C. Nathan Dewall (Worth
Publishers, 2018).
Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of
Psychological Research, 7th Edition, Roger R. Hock, (Pearson, 2015).

Course Description

Who are we? What are we? How do we know what we know? How do we explain
human behavior? Who controls us? What produces our thoughts? Can our behavior be
analyzed and diagnosed? What happens when something goes “wrong” with us
according to ourselves or to others and we start to act out in a way that we or the
society around us labels "abnormal"? The AP Psychology class studies human
behavior and mental processes from a variety of different perspectives.

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially
those affecting behavior in a given context. It includes an examination of both our
mental processes and our behaviors approached through empirical studies and
carefully substantiated research.

In this course, we will study many different branches of psychology including human
development, brain development, personality theories, learning and cognition, social
psychology, personality disorders and “treatments”.
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Syllabus

First Quarter:
 Prologue: The Story of Psychology
 Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
 The Biology of the Mind
 Consciousness and the Two-Track Mind
 Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity

Second Quarter:
 Developing through the Life Span
 Sensation and Perception
 Learning: Classical, Operant and Observational
 Cognition: Memory

Third Quarter:
 Cognition: Thinking and Language
 Intelligence
 What Drives Us: Hunger, Sex, Friendship, and Achievement
 Emotions, Stress, and Health
 Social Psychology

Fourth Quarter:
 Personality: Historic Perspectives and Contemporary Research
 Psychological Disorders
 Therapy

Assessment:

Homework: Response Papers : 20%

Tests: 30%
Projects: 25%
Quizzes: 15/%
Class Participation: 10%

Semester 1: Semester Exam 20% of the semester grade

Semester 2: Mock AP Exam: 20% of the semester grade

Policies and Expectations

Reading: We read a lot of material in this class. You are expected to work at the level
of a university student. Assignments will be given well ahead of time and it will be in
your own interest to do the reading and take notes. You will also need to take class
notes.
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Note taking: Notes matter and help. Good notes will help your understanding and
retention. It is important to digest the information and write the notes in your own
words rather than copying down verbatim from the book and the lectures.

We will not discuss everything from the chapters in class, but you are
responsible for all the material in the textbook. It is not as daunting as it may
seem if you study steadily and keep reviewing the material.

We learn from each other: This course is not one in which you will play a passive
role. Instead, you are expected to take an ACTIVE part in your own learning and that
of the class as well. In the classroom, discussion and demonstrations will dominate
over lectures so that we can learn from each other. Each of you brings something
special to the course. Come each day ready to contribute.

Response Papers: You will be given periodic assignments. The assignments will
vary: some will be reflective, some research-based, some experimental, and some
analytical.

Chapter Tests: The format will be a modeling of the AP test you will take in May:
MCQ’s and short answer essay. At the end of each quarter, you will also sit a
cumulative test on the material.

Office Hours: Office hours will be a weekly feature and the time can be utilized if
you would like to work together on any material that you may wish to discuss. Study
groups with your fellow classmates would also be a great way to go over the material
together.

Late Work and Absences for an AP Quiz or Test: Absences for an AP test are
unthinkable unless in extreme situations. Late response essays and projects are also
unthinkable as all work will be assigned well in advance. If you turn in late work or
are absent on a test, your grade will be capped at 75%.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: All academic dishonesty and plagiarism (on
essay responses) will affect your understanding and consequences follow.

"Plagiarism is representing, intentionally or unintentionally, the words or ideas of

another as one's own work without correctly acknowledging the source, in any
educational setting. It is the responsibility of the student to learn and use the correct
methods of avoiding plagiarism in each class."
- Adapted from UMass Lowell's definition of plagiarism

I have one note on plagiarism and cheating– Don’t do it. It is not worth it. If you are
having trouble in this class, come to me. We can talk about it and we can figure out
what we can do.

Final Comments:
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David Myers said “There is an objective reality out there, but we view it through the
spectacles of our beliefs, attitudes and values.” Human beings are complex organisms,
and everyone has the right to live a dignified life. As we work on understanding our
own behavior and mental processes, we will learn to understand others, appreciate the
differences. By the time it's over, I hope that you will have learned to think critically
about psychological evidence, and to evaluate its validity and its relevance to
important issues in your life. I hope this course provides you with a few lenses
through which you can view the world around you.