Norristown Area High School

Psychology
118
I. Course Description
In this course students survey the research and theories of the science of human behavior with a
particular focus on human mental processes. Among the topics discussed are development, learning,
memory, perception, personality, motivation, social behavior, abnormal behavior and therapy. Also
included is an introduction to the various careers associated with psychology. Key to the study of
psychology is the scientific method and how it is applied to the analysis and measurement of
individuals and groups.

II. Materials & Equipment

Text: Psychology: Principles in Practice, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

III. Course Goals & Objectives

Unit #1: Introduction to Psychology

Define psychology and explain the subject matter investigated in this field.
Evaluate and discuss the history of psychological investigations from ancient Greece to the present.
Explain each of the current perspectives in psychology.

Unit #2: The Physiology of Behavior:

Identify and functionally describe the basic structures of the neuron.

Describe the human nervous system and explain the functioning of each division.
Explain the relationship between brain structures / regions and behavior.
Describe the structures and functioning of the endocrine system.

Unit #3: Human Development:

Explain the human developmental sequence that occurs from fertilization to birth.
Discuss the nature vs. nurture issue in developmental psychology.
Describe the sequence of physical development that occurs in children.
Describe the processes of perceptual development during infancy.
Explain and evaluate Piaget's theories regarding the development of cognitive abilities in children,
including the four stages of development and the major characteristics of each stage.

Unit #4: Personality Theory & Measurement

Define personality. Evaluate the validity of personality as a psychological concept.

Describe the Freudian concept of "psychic structures" and how these structures are hypothesized to
work in relation to personality.

Describe, compare and contrast the personality theories of behaviorism and social-learning
theorists.
Unit #5: Abnormal Behavior & Psychological Disorders

Define abnormal behavior and evaluate criteria for labeling a behavior(s) abnormal.
Describe the symptoms of the major anxiety disorders. Use research findings to evaluate
explanations of origins and causation.
Describe the symptoms of dissociative disorders. Use research findings to evaluate possible
explanations of origins and causation.
Describe the symptoms of eating disorders. Use research findings to evaluate possible origins and
causation.
Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia. Use research findings to evaluate explanations of
causation.

Unit #6: Treatment of Psychological Disorders.

Define psychotherapy and evaluate the history and treatment of psychological disorders.
Describe and evaluate the goals and effectiveness of traditional psychoanalysis.
Describe the goals and methods of the following behavior therapy procedures: systematic
desensitization, aversive conditioning, token economy & operant conditioning, assertiveness
training and counterconditioning.
Evaluate the effectiveness of behavior therapy.
Consider the ethical issues regarding the use of electroconvulsive therapy and Psychosurgery.
PA Common Core State Standards History and Social Studies:
CC.8.5.9-10.B: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary
of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CC.8.5.9-10.D: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing
aspects of psychology.
CC.8.5.9-10.G: Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or
digital text.
CC.8.5.9-10.I: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
CC.8.5.9-10.J: By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 910 text complexity
band independently and proficiently.

CC.8.6.9-10.B: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete
details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic.

Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion,
and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and
convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
CC.8.6.9-10.E: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technologys capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and
dynamically.
CC.8.6.9-10.F: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CC.8.6.9-10.G: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches
effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CC.8.6.9-10.H: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CC.8.6.9-10.I: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

IV. Assignments & Grading

Grades will be based on a combination of classwork, homework, quizzes, tests, projects, and quarterly
exams. Homework will be assigned on a daily basis. All students will be required to take midterm and
final exams that will be cumulative. The Norristown Area School District grading system and scale
will be used to determine letter grades. Final grades in this course will be based on total points
accumulated.

V. Course Topics (Summary Outline)

I.

Introduction to the History and Science of Psychology

A. The History and Scope of Psychology
B. Research Strategies
II.
Neuroscience and Behavior
A. Neural and Hormonal Systems
B. The Brain
III.
A.
B.
C.
D.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
V.
A.
B.
C.
VI.
A.
B.
C.
VII.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
VIII.
A.
B.

The Developing Person

Prenatal Development and the Newborn
Infancy and Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Sensation and Perception
Introduction to Sensation and Perception
Vision
Hearing
The Other Senses
Perceptual Organization
States of Consciousness
Waking and Sleeping Rhythms
Hypnosis
Drugs and Consciousness
Learning
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Observational Learning
Memory
Introduction to Memory
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
Forgetting and Memory Construction
Thinking, Language, and Intelligence
Thinking
Language and Thought

C.Intelligence
D.Assessing Intelligence
E.Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence
IX. Motivation
A.Introduction to Motivation
B.Hunger
C.Social and Achievement Motivation
X. Emotion
A.Theories of Emotion
B.Experienced and Expressed Emotion

XI.

Personality
A. The Psychoanalytic Perspective
B. The Trait Perspective
C. The Humanistic Perspective

D.
XII.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
XIII.
A.
B.
C.
XIV.
A.
B.
XV.
A.
B.
C.

The Social-Cognitive Perspective

Psychological Disorders
Introduction to Psychological Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Dissociate and Personality Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenia
Therapy
The Psychological Therapies
Evaluating Psychotherapies
The Biomedical Therapies
Stress and Health
Stress and Illness
Promoting Health
Social Psychology
Social Thinking
Social Influence
Social Relations