Unit 3: Human Development and Awareness
Lifespan DevelopmentDevelopmental psychology deals with the behavior of organisms from conception to death and examines the processes that contribute to behavioral change throughout the life span . The major areas of emphasis in the course are prenatal development, motor development, socialization, cognitive development, adolescence, and adulthood .
AP students in psychology should be able to do the following: • Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture (including cultural variations) in the determination of behavior . • Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful fetal development (e .g ., nutrition, illness, substance abuse) . • Discuss maturation of motor skills . • Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate socialization . • Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (e .g ., Piaget’s stages, information processing) . • Compare and contrast models of moral development (e .g ., Kohlberg, Gilligan) . • Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence, including related family conflicts . • Explain how parenting styles influence development . • Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature . • Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge as people age, including steps that can be taken to maximize function . • Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development . • Identify key contributors in developmental psychology (e .g ., Mar y Ainswor th, Albert Bandura, Diana Baumrind, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Carol Gilligan, Harry Harlow, Lawrence Kohlberg, Konrad Lorenz, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky) . Resources The Developing Child - DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY Maturing and Aging-DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY The Growth of Knowledge: Crash Course Psychology #18 Monkeys and Morality: Crash Course Psychology #19 CrashCourse Adolescence: Crash Course Psychology #20 |
States of ConsciousnessUnderstanding consciousness and what it encompasses is critical to an appreciation
of what is meant by a given state of consciousness . The study of variations in consciousness includes an examination of the sleep cycle, dreams, hypnosis, circadian rhythms, and the effects of psychoactive drugs . AP students in psychology should be able to do the following: • Describe various states of consciousness and their impact on behavior . • Discuss aspects of sleep and dreaming: — stages and characteristics of the sleep cycle; — theories of sleep and dreaming; — symptoms and treatments of sleep disorders . • Describe historic and contemporary uses of hypnosis (e .g ., pain control, psychotherapy) . • Explain hypnotic phenomena (e .g ., suggestibility, dissociation) . • Identify the major psychoactive drug categories (e .g ., depressants, stimulants) and classify specific drugs, including their psychological and physiological ef fects . • Discuss drug dependence, addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal . • Identify the major figures in consciousness research (e .g ., William James, Sigmund Freud, Ernest Hilgard) . Resources The Mind Awake and Asleep -DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY The Mind Hidden and Divided -DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY Consciousness - Crash Course Psychology #8 To Sleep, Perchance to Dream - Crash Course Psychology #9 Altered States - Crash Course Psychology #10 |
Sensation and PerceptionEverything that organisms know about the world is first encountered when stimuli in the environment activate sensory organs, initiating awareness of the external world . Perception involves the interpretation of the sensory inputs as a cognitive process .
AP students in psychology should be able to do the following: • Discuss basic principles of sensory transduction, including absolute threshold, difference threshold, signal detection, and sensory adaptation . • Describe sensory processes (e .g ., hearing, vision, touch, taste, smell, vestibular, kinesthesis, pain), including the specific nature of energy transduction, relevant anatomical structures, and specialized pathways in the brain for each of the senses . • Explain common sensory disorders (e .g ., visual and hearing impairments) . • Describe general principles of organizing and integrating sensation to promote stable awareness of the external world (e .g ., Gestalt principles, depth perception) . • Discuss how experience and culture can influence perceptual processes (e .g ., perceptual set, context effects) . • Explain the role of top-down processing in producing vulnerability to illusion . • Discuss the role of attention in behavior . • Challenge common beliefs in parapsychological phenomena . • Identify the major historical figures in sensation and perception (e .g ., Gustav Fechner, David Hubel, Ernst Weber, Torsten Wiesel) . Resources Sensation and Perception -DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY Sensation & Perception - Crash Course Psychology #5 Homunculus - Crash Course Psychology #6 Perceiving is Believing - Crash Course Psychology #7 |
