AP+Psychology+Daily+Activity+2013-2014

=Fall Semester 2013=

August 12 - August 16
8/12: Teacher orientation 8/13: Student orientation 8/14: Handed out the syllabus, illustrated the website and started a discussion of Handout P-3. New textbooks have not yet arrived. Tomorrow, finish discussion of handout and begin Unit 1 on History and Systems. 8/15: Finished discussion of the Handout P-3. Textbooks arrived and will be handed out tomorrow. Also, start discussion of "History and Systems" in psychology. 8/16: Handed out textbooks and discussed how to register online for ebook. Also, started Unit 1 by presenting Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Continue Unit 1 on Monday.

August 19 - August 23
8/19: Reviewed contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Also, covered Wundt and his lab and first psychological experiment, as well as the structuralist (Wundt) and functionalist (James) schools of psychology. Discussed differences between Gestalt, Psychoanalytic and Behavioral psychology. Tomorrow, group discussion of the functionalist school and William James. 8/20: Discussed William James' contribution to psychology. Tomorrow, discuss psychology as a science. 8/21: Discussed the Schachter and Singer experiment on emotional illusions following James' theory of emotion from the article by Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer, "Cognitive, Social and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State," __Psychological Review__, 69(5), (September 1962): 379-99. Also recommended book by Leonard Mlodinow, __Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior__, Pantheon Books, New York, NY (2012). Also, assigned students to report briefly on a psychologist, due Monday, and discussed biases in thinking of psychology as a science. Tomorrow, contemporary psychology. 8/22: Started discussion on contemporary psychology and introduced major issues in psychology. A major issue, nature/nurture was discussed and was follow up by students taking a survey concerning whether or not they believe personality traits can be changed. Tomorrow, score these inventories, discuss level of analysis in psychology, and present two case studies demonstrating different levels of analysis. 8/23: Discussed levels of analysis in psychology and how they apply to understanding the case of Andrea Yates. On Monday, brief backgrounds of several scientists will be presented as an assignment.

August 26 - August 30
8/26: Started presentations of background of various psychologists and their contributions to psychology. Continue presentations tomorrow. 8/27: Continued presentations on psychologists. Finish them tomorrow. 8/28: Finished presentations. Tomorrow review for unit test by completing practice test in the back of chapter 1 and writing out definitions of terms used in the chapter. 8/29: Review for Unit 1 Test. 8/30: Teacher retreat, no classes.

September 2 - September 6
9/2: Labor Day, no classes. 9/3: Finished Unit 1 by discussing case study in racial biases and stereotyping and subfield in psychology. Tomorrow, review for Unit 1 test on Thursday. 9/4: Reviewed for Unit 1 test tomorrow. 9/5: Unit test, tomorrow start Unit 2. 9/6: Started Unit 2 by discussing the weaknesses of human intuition and the need for the scientific method in the study of psychology. Continue with Unit 2 on Monday.

September 9 - September 13
9/9: In Unit 2, discussed why the scientific method is a major accomplishment in human understanding and how it often leads to conclusions about the real world that run counter to our intuition. Tomorrow, what is a critical thinker and how psychologists approach problems. 9/10: Reviewed Unit 1 Exam and discussed responses to hand out 2-1. Tomorrow begin discussion of critical thinking. 9/11: Worked on definition of critical thinking and its role in psychology. Tomorrow talk about methods of psychological research. 9/12: Discussed operational definitions and reinforced the definition and characteristics of critical thinking. Also, introduced research methodologies of case studies, surveys, and observational studies with more details tomorrow. 9/13: Discussed case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observation. Also, discussed the fable "Attributions" from the book __Fables for Developing Skeptical and Critical Thinking in Psychology__ by John Marton. Monday, assign groups for observational study of the cafeteria at Marian and discuss correlation.

September 16 - September 20
9/16: Discussed correlation and assigned research groups for observational study. 9/17: Discussed attribution theory by talking about attributions we make about others and ourselves. Also, presented the format for the naturalistic observation study students will be doing of cafeteria behavior at Marian. This format will be available on a separate webpage. Finally, discussed correlation versus experimentation, independent and dependent variables and experimental design. Tomorrow, we will discuss interaction effects and everyday usage of statistics. The naturalistic observation project will be due next Friday, 9/27 and there will be time next tuesday for data analysis using the lab computers. The unit 2 exam is tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday. 9/18: Talked about experimentation and statistics, measures of central tendency, variation and standard deviation, and statistical significance. 9/19: Started discussion on ethics in research. 9/20: Finished discussion on ethics and viewed a film on privacy of one's medical records. Also, reviewed for Unit 2 exam scheduled for next Wednesday.

September 23 - September 27
9/23: ICF Day, no classes. 9/24: Discussed computation of measures of central tendency and variation/standard deviation and experimental design. Unit 2 exam rescheduled for Thursday and the Naturalistic Observation study report for Monday, 9/30. Start Unit 3 tomorrow. Today worked on correlational analysis of Naturalistic Observation study data. 9/25: Introduced Unit 3 and discussed phrenology and how it lead to current study of the biological basis of behavior and neuroscience. Tomorrow, Unit 2 exam. 9/26: Unit 2 exam. Tomorrow, back in to Unit 3. Naturalistic observation project is due Monday, 9/30. 9/27: In Unit 3, discussed basic component of the nervous system, the neuron and its functioning. On Monday, discuss neurotransmitters and the peripheral and central nervous systems. Also, Naturalistic Observation study is due.

September 30 - October 4
9/30: Went over Unit 2 Exam and continued with Unit 3, discussing neurotransmitters and their function and components of the nervous system. Tomorrow, continue in Unit 3. Also, Naturalistic Observation projects were due today. 10/1: Finished Unit 3A and reviewed content and the textbook review questions. Tomorrow, start Unit 3B. 10/2: Started Unit 3B, discussing the structure of the "old" brain, i.e., the medulla, reticular formation, pons, and thalamus. Tomorrow, day 2 of Unit 3B. 10/3: Presented Schiff study of neuro-imaging of patients with minimal consciousness as well as information on limbic system and neocortical functioning. 10/4: Discussed association areas in the brain and provided examples of how deficits in these area alter specific behaviors. Also, discussed the study by Bellugi who investigated the relationship between cognitive functioning and linguistic production in patients suffering from Williams Syndrome. Introduced concept of brain plasticity by presenting studies of hemispherectomies performed on young children and then followed up by analyzing cognitive functioning in adulthood.

October 7 - October 11
10/7: Discussed split-brain research and in that regard, viewed the two videos linked below. [] [] Finally, talked about consciousness and neuroscience. Tomorrow, start Unit 3C. 10/8: Viewed a short video on the effects of right frontal lobectomy on memory in distance runner Diane Van Deren. [] Introduced part C of Unit 3 by discussing genes and heritable traits and twin studies. 10/9: Worked on Unit 3A and 3B review questions. 10/10: Discussed heritability and individual differences in Unit 3C. 10/11: Discussed evolutionary psychology.

October 14 - October 18
10/14: Finished Unit 3C by discussing sexual behavior and Buss' review of genotype-environment correlations. Tomorrow, review for Unit 3 exam on Thursday. 10/15: reviewed Units 3A, B, and C for exam on Thursday. 10/16: PSAT, no classes. 10/17: Unit 3 exam. Tomorrow, start Unit 4, "Sensation and Perception." 10/18: Introduced Unit 4 by discussing handouts 1 and 2.

October 21 - October 25
10/21: Continued in Unit 4 by discussing perceptual processing, bottom-up and top-down. Talked about attention/selective attention and inattention. Continue with Unit 4 tomorrow. 10/22: Discussed selective inattention and change blindness and watched the YouTube video "Invisible Gorilla," []. Tomorrow, thresholds and sensory adaptation. 10/23: Discussed psychophysics and Fechner's contribution to measuring threshold. 10/24: Discussed Weber's law and just noticeable differences. Also, discussed sensory adaptation and the role of eye movement in visual processing. Used handout 4-6 to illustrate eye movements. No classes tomorrow, continue with Unit 4 on Monday. 10/25: No classes.

October 28 - November 1
10/28: Discussed processing of visual information in visual cortex, feature detection cells and parallel processing. 10/29: Covered anatomy of the eye and retina, color vision. 10/30: Discussed literature search and topic paper as next project due the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Topic proposal due next Wednesday. Started section on audition, describing the structure of the ear. 10/31: Discussed audition and perception of loudness and pitch. Tomorrow, proprioception and kinesthesis. 11/1: WUD and a discussion of proprioception and kinesthesis. Also, handed out an article from __Time__ magazine, entitled "The Art of Memory." Students will read this articles and write a review, including their personal thoughts on Monday during class.

November 4 - November 8
11/4: Students worked on writing a review paper of the article "The Art of Memory." Review is due tomorrow. 11/5: Discussed the perception of pain. Tomorrow, smell and taste and research paper topics are due. 11/6: Discussed possible topics for the literature search and paper. Tomorrow, back into Unit 4. 11/7: Discussed sensations of taste and smell and sensory integration. Also began discussion of perceptual processing. 11/8: WUD today. Also, discussed perceptual processing by reviewing the Gestalt organizing principles and depth perception utilizing both binocular and monocular cues. Monday, work on research papers.

November 11 - November 15
11/11: Students worked on research papers. 11/12: Continued in unit 4, covering perceptual organization. 11/13: Discussed the role emotion and motivation play in perceptual organization. Also, discussed ESP and the studies showing lack of support for the belief in ESP. Tomorrow, review of Unit 4 for Friday's exam. 11/14: Reviewed for Unit 4 exam, rescheduled for Monday. Tomorrow, prepare for "Open House" on Sunday. 11/15: Watched videos for possibility of using them during "Open House" on Sunday. Monday is Unit 4 exam.

November 18 - November 22
11/18: Unit 4 Exam. 11/19: Introduced Unit 5 by discussing the concept of consciousness and how it is defined in psychology. Tomorrow, begin discussion of sleep states and dreaming. 11/20: Discussed sleep stages and their characteristics. Continue Unit 5 tomorrow. 11/21: Discussed why we sleep and sleep disorders. 11/22: Reviewed Unit 4 Exam and discussed the method for referencing the research paper students are preparing for Wednesday. Agreed upon the APA method. Also, watched film of Kennedy funeral and discussed conspiracies surrounding his assassination on this day 50 years ago in 1963 and why people invent such stories.

November 25 - November 29
11/25: Discussed hypnotism as an altered state of consciousness; tomorrow, drug-induced altered states. 11/26: Discussed drug-induced altered mental states, especially from alcohol, barbiturates and opiates. Tomorrow, research paper is due. 11/27: Discussed hallucinogens and their impact on states on consciousness. Also, there was a WUD quiz today. Finish unit 5 on Monday. 11/28: Thanksgiving break, no classes. 11/29: Thanksgiving break, no classes.

December 2 - December 6
12/2: Finished Unit 5. Tomorrow is review and unit test will be on Thursday. 12/3: Reviewed unit 5 for exam on Thursday. Tomorrow, start unit 6. 12/4: Introduced unit 6 on Learning by discussing definitions of learning, including classical and operant conditioning and observational learning. Tomorrow, Unit 5 exam. 12/5: Unit 5 exam. 12/6 Watched a YouTube video on consciousness, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMrzdk_YnYY, and fetal learning, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stngBN4hp14. Continue with unit 6 on Monday.

December 9 - December 13
12/9: Discussed Sleep, Dreaming and Memory by viewing a TED video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmRGNunPj3c. Also, discussed classical conditioning and parameters affecting this form of learning. Continue with Unit 6 tomorrow. 12/10: Discussed classical conditioning; tomorrow operant conditioning. 12/11: Discussed operant conditioning after was short film interview of B. F. Skinner's discussing his work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA. 12/12: Reviewed Unit 4 exam and classical vs. operant conditioning. 12/13: Read article on personhood of primates issue and wrote brief opinion papers. Finished class comparing and contrasting classical and operant conditioning. Monday, finish Unit 6.

December 16 - December 20
12/16: Finished chapter 6. Tomorrow, review for the final exam. 12/17: Reviewed for Unit 6 exam. 12/18: Final exams. 12/19: Final exams. 12/20: Final exams.

=Spring Semester 2014= **January 6 - January 9** 1/6: Snow day, no classes. 1/7: Snow day, no classes. 1/8: Snow day, no classes. 1/9: Reviewed final exam. Tomorrow, start unit 7. 1/10: Introduced unit 7A on memory by discussing nature of memory and the variables affecting it. Use example of remembering the dwarfs from snow white.

January 13 - January 17
1/13: Discussed survey concerning personal self-defining memories and started in class presentations of previous semester's research papers. Watched videos of a person without memories and the 60 Minutes feature on Memory Wizards. Continue presentations tomorrow. 1/14: Discussed visual/auditory encoding and using mnemonic devices, e.g., Key Word method. 1/15: Discussed chunking and iconic memory. Class room presentations continued. 1/16: Reviewed Information Processing Model of Human Memory and discussed memory capacity and individuals with the amazing ability to remember very long sequences of random numbers. 1/17: WUD on definitions of terms from Unit 7A. Performed a demonstration illustrating the efficacy of retrieval cues.

January 20 - January 24
1/20: MLK Day, no classes. 1/21: Started discussion about forgetting by discussing encoding failure with exercise demonstrating "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon as well as the Pollyanna Principle. 1/22: Discussed difference between suppressed memories and retrieval failure. Also, started discussion on false memories. 1/23: Finished Unit 7A by viewing a TED video on false memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2OegI6wvI. 1/24: Snow day, no classes. Start Unit 7B unless there's a snow day.

January 27 - January 31
1/27: Snow day, no classes. 1/28: Snow day, no classes. Start Unit 7B tomorrow, unless there is another snow day. 1.29: Viewed 60 Minutes video about metal health care in the U.S. Link provided: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-jEeiyirjc. 1/30: Overview of Unit 7B. 1/31: Started Unit 7B by discussing thinking and cognition as well as styles of thinking and individual's desire to think.

February 3 - February 7
2/3: Continued in Unit 7B by discussing problem solving strategies. 2/4: Discussed insight and "aha" moments. Also, talked about PowerPoint presentation concerning evaluation of a governmental program for children or the poor. Students will work in teams and present results to class and provide a 2-page summary of their talk. 2/5: PowerPoint work. 2/6: PowerPoint work. 2/7: Snow day, no classes.

February 10 - February 14
2/10: Discussed HASTI presentations I attended concerning neuroscience and psychology. Also, had some students present summaries of their research papers from last semester. Tomorrow, creativity. 2/11: Discussed creativity and the characteristics of creative people. Tomorrow, language. Units 7A & B exam is scheduled for next Monday, 2/17. 2/12: Started discussion of language, connection with cognition, structure of language and development of language. Finish Unit 7B tomorrow. 2/13: Finished Unit 7B by discussing bilingualism and cognitive function and mental imagery and its role in cognition. Tomorrow review for Units 7A and 7B exam on Monday. 2/14: Reviewed for Unit 7 exam on Monday.

February 17 - February 21
2/17: Unit 7A & B exam. Tomorrow begin Unit 8A. 2/18: Started Unit 8A. 2/19: Continued in Unit 8A by discussing three approaches to understanding motivation. Handed out a Maslow inventory of needs for students to complete for tomorrow. 2/20: Discussed students' responses to Maslow's Inventory and the physiological basis of eating behavior/hunger. 2/21: Discussed ecological affects on eating behavior and eating disorders, e.g., anorexia. Also, discussed general outline for the PowerPoint presentations on a government agency.

February 24 - February 28
2/24: Discussed obesity and weight loss and viewed a TED video concerning changing dietary habits and education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go_QOzc79Uc 2/25: Handed back Unit 7A & B exam for corrections; corrections worked on during class and their are due tomorrow. 2/26: Worked on PowerPoint presentation. These presentations will begin on Monday, 3/10. 2/27: Started discussion on sexual motivation and gender. Continue discussion tomorrow. 2/28: Finished Unit 8A by reviewing the research on gender identity and homosexuality and discussed belonging and relatedness. Begin Unit 8B on Monday.

March 3 - March 7
3/3: Started Unit 8B by discussing theories of motivation, e.g., James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Two-Factor theories. 3/4: Discussed stress and its effects and viewed a TED video on rethinking the harmful effects of stress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcGyVTAoXEU Tomorrow review for Units 8A & B exam on Thursday. 3/5: Reviewed for Unit 8A & B exam tomorrow. 3/6: Unit 8A & B exam. 3/7: Worked on PowerPoint presentation which will start Monday.

March 10 - March 14
3/10: Started presentations. 3/11: Continued presentations. 3/12: Continued presentations. 3/13: Continued presentations. 3/14: Finished class presentations and discussed all the programs presented. Quiz over the PowerPoints on Monday, 3/17.

March 17 - March 21
3/17: Quiz over PowerPoints an reviewed units 8A & B test. 3/18: Viewed short video on Dr. Carl Hart concerning drugs, drug addiction, and drug policy in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdsN_vYZ3w8 3/19: Discussed video briefly and possibility of incorporating the theme of drug abuse/use into the remaining units to be covered in the fourth quarter. Also, started Unit 9 by discussing prenatal development and the competent child. 3/20: Continued in Unit 9 by introducing Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Watched video "Piaget on Piaget." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XwjIruMI94 3/21: Student worked on reading assignment from Unit 9.

March 24 - March 28
3/24: Finished video on Piaget and discussed the film's findings. Continue Unit 9 tomorrow. 3/25: Discussed social development including attachment, temperament and parenting styles. 3/26: Discussed gender identity and development. 3/27: Discussed social development and adolescence. 3/28: No classes, auction preview.

March 31 - April 4
3/31: Discussed cognitive and moral development in teenagers, as well as individual and social identity. Also, talked about 4th quarter project and voted to take the Unit 9 exam on the Monday after spring break, 4/14. 4/1: Covered adulthood development, specifically discussing changes that occur with age. Tomorrow, aging and end of life issues. 4/2: Discussed Alzheimer's Disease and what constitutes a life well-lived. Tomorrow, we will discuss the major issues in psychology as they apply to development. 4/3: Discussed over arching themes of nature vs nurture, continuity vs stages, and stability vs change. Tomorrow, review for unit 9 exam which will be on Monday, 4/14. 4/4: Reviewed for the Unit 9 exam and discussed possible topics for debate as part the of third quarter project. Next week is spring break.

April 14 - April 18
4/14: Unit 9 exam. Tomorrow, start Unit 10. 4/15: Started Unit 10 by discussing individual definitions of personality. 4/16: In Unit 10, discussed Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personalty and its development. Also talked about assessment of the unconscious through free association and dream analysis, as well as defense mechanisms. 4/17: Discussed criticism of Freud's psychoanalytic theory and Humanistic psychology of Maslow and Rogers. Monday, trait theory of personality. 4/18: Good Friday, no classes.

April 21 - April 25
4/21: Discussed trait theory of personality. 4/22: Continued discussion of trait theory and completed two inventories which determine strength of responses on each of the "big five" personality traits. Also, students assigned task of summarizing these inventories for their own personalities due tomorrow. 4/23: Introduced Social-Cognitive view of personality by Bandura, also called reciprocal determinism. 4/24: Handed back inventory evaluations; tomorrow students need to discuss their inventories with another students and record that students perspective on their personality traits. Also, handed out topics for the debate during the last week of classes before finals and assigned groups. Debate format will be 5 minute presentations by both the pro and con sides followed by 2 minute rebuttals and then questions. Students can begin to do background research tomorrow. In unit 10, discussed self-esteem and its impact on personality and the role of environmental factors. Unit 10 exam scheduled for next Thursday, 5/1. 4/25: Finish personality inventories by discussing the results with another student.

April 28 - May 2
4/28: Finished Unit 10 by discussing culture and the self and watched a TE video on introversion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4. Tomorrow finish review questions from Unit 10. 4/29: Finished review questions for Unit 10 and started Unit 12 on Abnormal Psychology. 4/30: Discussed what a psychological disorder is and viewed two short film clips from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQa_sg4zN88 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI7K_ojMUoo Tomorrow is Unit 10 exam. 5/1: Unit 10 exam. Tomorrow, Free-Response portion of the AP exam. 5/2: AP section 2, free-response exam. Monday work on debate topics.

May 5 - May 9
5/5: Worked on background material for debates. Tomorrow, back into unit 12. 5/6: In chapter 12, discussed anxiety and somatoform disorders. Tomorrow, mood disorders. 5/7: Viewed two TED videos on bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ki9dgG3P5M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6CILJA110Y Tomorrow, discuss diagnosis and treatment. 5/8: Watched two videos on diagnosis of mental illness and new research on brain functioning in people with mental diseases. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYemnKEKx0c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZ-U0pj9LI 5/9: Completed a suicide questionnaire and discussed current state of research into suicide. Monday, begin chapter 13 on treatment.

May 12 - May 16
5/12: Started Unit 13 on treatment, discussing psychotherapy and client-centered therapy. 5/13: WUD and behavioral therapy. 5/14: WUD and discussed cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies. Also, discussed effectiveness of psychotherapy using meta-analysis. 5/15: Finished Unit 13 by discussing psychotropic drugs used to treat various psychological disorders. Tomorrow, review for Units 12 & 13 exam on Monday. Also, tomorrow assign topics to groups for next week's debates. 5/16: Assigned debate topics and debates starting next Tuesday, 5/20. Also, reviewed units 12 and 13 in preparation for the unit exam on Monday 5/19.

May 19 - May 23
5/19: Units 12 & 13 exam. Tomorrow, debates start. 5/20: Debates started. 5/21: Debates continued. 5/22: Finished debates. Tomorrow study period. 5/23: Study period.

May 26 - May 30
5/26: Memorial Day, no classes. 5/27: Final exam. 5/28: No finals AP Psych. 5/29: No finals AP Psych. 5/30: No finals AP Psych.