AP Psychology

Unit 1 – Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Unit 2 – Biological Basis of Behavior

Unit 3 – Sensation and Perception

Unit 4 – Learning

Unit 5 – Cognitive Psychology

Unit 6 – Developmental Psychology

Unit 7 – Motivation, Emotion, and Personality

Unit 8 – Clinical Psychology

Unit 9 – Social Psychology

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Come with questions about biological psychology, including the brain, nervous system, and endocrine system. Practice application questions will be provided as time permits.

From the College Board

Contextualizing the Unit 

Roots of Psychology

Key Facts

Unit 1 Overview: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

The Historical Progression of Psychology

Subfields of Psychology 

Introducing Psychology

Overview of Research Methods

Examples

Research Methods in Psychology

Types of Research  

The Scientific Method

Types of Variables

Cause and Effect

Common Sense?

Defining Psychological Science: The Experimental Method

Validity

Practice AP Question 

Selecting a Research Method

Types of Statistics

Summarizing Data

Correlation

Skews

Normal Distributions

Practice AP FRQ

Statistical Analysis in Psychology

Ethical Guidelines

Unethical Experiments

Ethical Guidelines in Psychology

🤔 Contextualizing the Unit

Unit 2 Overview: Biological Bases
of Behavior

Vocabulary

Basics of Biology

Heredity and the Environment

The Biopsychosocial Approach

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

Endocrine System

Practice Question

Conclusion

The Endocrine System

Nervous System

Neurons

Overview of the Nervous System and the Neuron

Neural Firing

Drugs

Influence of Drugs on Neural Firing

Brain Structure and Functions

Hemispheric Lateralization 

Neuroanatomy Summary

The Brain

Let's Recall!

Examining Brain Structures and Function

Tools for Examining Brain Structure and Function

The Adaptable Brain

Consciousness

The Adaptable Brain: Neural Fluidity

Sleep Cycles Vocabulary

Dreaming

Sleep and Dreaming

Contextualizing the Unit

Unit 3 Overview: Sensation and
Perception

Principles of Sensation

Gestalt Principles 

Interpreting Sensory Information

What is Perception?

Perceptual Processes

Attention

Depth Perception 

Perceived Motion

Constancy

Culture

Gestalt Principles

Principles of Perception

⚡️Visible Light Spectrum

👁 Parts of the Eye 	

🌈 Theories of Color Vision

👓 Common Sensory Conditions 

Visual Anatomy

Perceptual Organization

Form perception

Depth Perception

Motion Perception

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual Adaptation

Practice AP Question

Visual Perception

🎵 Audition

👂Parts of the Ear 

🔇 Hearing Impairment 

🤔 Theories of Pitch Perception

🔊 Localization of Sound

Auditory Sensation and Perception

Gustation 👅

Olfaction 👃

Practice MCQs

Chemical Senses

✋ Somatosensation (Touch) 

😩 Pain 

Check your Understanding

Body Senses

Unit 3 – Sensation & Perception

Introduction

Unit 4 Overview: Learning

Key Researchers

Three Types of Learning

Learning Phenomena

Biological Constraints

Introduction to Learning

What is Classical Conditioning?

Classical Conditioning 

Reinforcement and Punishment

Limitations to Operant Conditioning

Reinforcement Schedules

Operant Conditioning

Modeling (Observational Learning)

Behavior Modification

Latent Learning

Abstract Learning

Insight Learning

Social and Cognitive Factors in Learning

From the College Board 

Key Facts 

Unit 5 Overview: Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Processes

Memory

Introduction to Memory

Measuring Intelligence

The Normal Curve

Bias in IQ tests

Psychometric Principles and Intelligence Testing

Components of Language

Language Acquisition

Components of Language and Language Acquisition

Processing Information Model

Enhancing Encoding

Encoding

Three-Stage Model

Organization

Physical Storage in the Brain

Storing

Measures of Retention

Retrieval Cues

Retrieving

Ebbinghaus Curve

Memory Interference

Amnesia

Freudian Thinking

Forgetting and Memory Distortion

Long-term Potentiation

Quick Rundown

Biological Bases of Memory

Problem Solving

How do we think?

🎨Creativity

Introduction to Thinking and Problem Solving

Errors in Problem Solving

Biases

Biases and Errors in Thinking 

Intelligence

Table

Flynn effect

Introduction to Intelligence

Basics of Developmental Psychology

Unit 6 Overview: Developmental Psychology

Conception 

Prenatal Development

Physical Development in Newborns

Cognitive Development in Newborns

The Lifespan and Physical Development in Childhood

Body Contact & Harry Harlow

Konrad Lorenz and Familiarity

Attachment Styles and Ainsworth

Parenting Styles and Baumrind

Sigmund Freud and Psychosexual Development

Social Learning and Albert Bandura

Social Development in Childhood

Cognitive Development and Jean Piaget 

Sociocultural Cognitive Development and Lev Vygotsky

Cognitive Development in Childhood

Physical Development in Adolescence

Cognitive Development in Adolescence 

Social Development in Adolescence

Adolescent Development

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